"It's mainly because people in Hangzhou do not know they are taxis, or assume they are more expensive taxis," said their operation manager, who gave her surname as Dong.

Featuring a similar design to the original London model, the cars boast a larger body, more spacious seating for five passengers and being more user-friendly for the disabled. But with greater fuel consumption than regular taxis to pay for, most drivers have failed to make any profit.

According to Dong, after paying fuel costs and leasing fees, the London-cab drivers earn around 70 yuan ($11) a day, while regular taxi drivers make at least 150 yuan.

But Dong said the situation had been improving over the past few months, and far from giving up on the black cabs, they may even run more.

"On one hand, we are reducing the fees required from drivers and recruiting new hands. On the other, we will invest more on promotion and advertising," she said.

But Yang Xueliang, marketing director of Geely Group, the manufacturer of the taxis, believed the reason that Englon TX4 has been given the cold shoulder in Hangzhou is because the company hasn't found the right business model.

"In Beijing and Guangzhou, cars of this kind are largely used as long-distance chartered cabs for companies," Yang told the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post.

Yang's opinion is shared by Huang Fu, a taxi driver in Hangzhou, who plans to apply to drive the Englon TX4.

After driving a taxi for more than five years, Huang said he has built up quite a large number of "high-end business clientele", who will be happy to travel in a more spacious and comfortable cab.

There are around 100 Englon TX4 taxis in China.