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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Turkey

20th February 2014

Will the London future taxi be Turkish?

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At first sight, the vehicle looks like a slice of science fiction futurism from “The Fifth Element”.

When we climb into the big, low-floored cab, designed to offer easy access to disabled people and wheel-chair users, everything feels familiar.  Yet somehow it is also different: more comfortable and spacious than usual.

We’re at Hexagon Studios, the research and development centre of Turkish automotive manufacturer Karsan at Gebze in the outskirts of Istanbul.

Karsan is in many ways a classic Turkish company.  Its Hexagon design studio has impressive computer-aided design capabilities.  Its manufacturing facility in Bursa turns out some of Turkey’s most modern commercial vehicles.  So I’ve come with experts, including Chris Gaunt from the British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey and Sernur Tatari and Sibel Bilgin from our UK Trade and Investment team, to explore the scope for co-operation with British companies.

One of the most impressive Karsan projects is for the “Future London Taxi” known at the Hexagon Studio as the Concept V1.  Designed as a cab from scratch, it has a host of intriguing details including a glass roof giving amazing views to travellers and the potential for all-electric power.  It also has superb facilities for people with impaired mobility.

Having examined the future taxi prototype at Karsan, I am confident this is a strong candidate for the streets of London and will excite a lot of people.  We will be in close contact with Karsan on any aspect of their project which may involve investing in the UK; and will follow their campaign for the Future London Taxi with close interest.

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About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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