Monday, August 18, 2014

You Can Have Any Colour Taxi You Want, As Long As Its A Santana.


First automotive impression of Shanghai? Lots of taxis. Lots and lots and lots of taxis. It's all you see. And they're all the same. VW Santana sedans, by the dozens, hundreds, thousands. There were several different generations, some of which were designed specifically with China in mind (they later ones were even called the Shanghai Santana Vista). Apparently China was the largest single market for the rather large VW sedan, and as I noted was very popular as taxis, but also as police vehicles.
Seeing the same car over and over and over can be boring, but at least the taxis come in many different colours. You really have the whole rainbow here. They are typically grey on the bottom, roof and bumpers, with colour across the hood, trunk and doors. It certainly breaks up the monotony of an otherwise boring and style-less car, and brightens the streets of Shanghai.

Think I'll head out and explore the city a bit now. It's nice to know that if I get tired I can easily hail a taxi, and can even pick the colour I want!


1 comment:

  1. Forgot to mention that the taxis in Shanghai are very cheap, which is good news: that way you can afford life insurance, which is a good idea, as the drivers are pretty crazy!

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