The head of Harley-Davidson’s European business is ditching his leathers to talk turning circles and traffic with black cab drivers.

John Russell is to take charge at Manganese Bronze, maker of London’s distinctive taxis, which are increasingly being sold in a range of international markets.

He will join the Coventry-based group as chief executive next month to help to drive this expansion, a role in sharp contrast to his current one, where he encourages his biking customers to use their vehicles to discover “parts unknown”. Taxi users will be hoping that he doesn’t suggest the same of his new customers.

His appointment comes just four months after Manganese Bronze signed a £53 million joint-venture contract with a Chinese group to manufacture the London black cab in Shanghai.

Under the terms of that agreement, Zhejiang Geely will work with the UK group to manufacture some 20,000 vehicles a year. Those vehicles will start to appear on the streets of cities in China and other emerging economies.

Black cabs have also appeared in Hong Kong, South Africa and Pakistan, although those have been imported.

Mr Russell began his career at Unipart, the logistics group. The 57-year-old executive was appointed managing director at Harley-Davidson in 1998, having previously worked for Peugeot and Rover. He rose to marketing director at Land Rover, helping to launch the Discovery model, and joined the Rover board before its purchase by BMW.

He later spent a year and a half as acting chief executive of a textiles company in Bombay.

Mr Russell’s appointment comes seven months after Ian Pickering announced his departure from the taxi maker.

Mr Pickering unexpectedly quit after leading a restructuring of the group, including the sale of Zingo, its loss-making service that put customers in touch with nearby taxi drivers by mobile phone.

Mr Pickering had spent eight years on Manganese Bronze’s board, including three years as finance director.

London Taxis International, the division of Manganese Bronze responsible for making the taxis, has manufactured more than 100,000 vehicles since it was created nearly 60 years ago.

Manganese Bronze returned to profit in 2005 after four years of losses.

Early in 2005 it faced the threat of fresh competition in London from rival manufacturers and called on Ken Livingstone. the Mayor of London to launch a consultation on which vehicles were “fit” for use as taxis. Rival manufacturers tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Mayor that its vehicles were fit for purpose too.

The TX4 is the company’s latest vehicle. It was revealed late last year in preparation for the introduction of new European Union emissions standards and plans for a low-emissions zone in London that will require vehicles to meet low-emission standards in order to enter.

The vehicle runs using a diesel-fuelled engine that can also use biodiesel.

Tim Melville-Ross, chairman of Manganese Bronze, said that Mr Russell’s in-depth knowledge of the motor industry and international experience would prove “invaluable” to the company.

Despite the apparent shift in focus for Mr Russell, his new customers might argue that they too drive machines with “flowing curves” and “smooth lines”, as Harley-Davidson bikes are described.

Black taxi drivers hoping for some more flair in future models will be disappointed. A Manganese Bronze spokesman confirmed that there were no plans to roll out any two-wheeled alternatives to its current models.

Wheel meet again The bike

Harley-Davidson VRSCR Street Rod

Wheels 2

Gears 5

Passengers 1

Weight 280kg

Price from £10,995

Consumption 37.4 to 47.7mpg

Seats Leather

Air conditioning Not necessary

Advantages Good for pulling rock chicks

The taxi

LTI LX4

Wheels 4

Gears 5

Passengers 5

Weight 1,900kg

Price £27,000 to £36,000

Consumption 28 to 42mpg

Seats Vinyl/cloth

Advantages Can be driven in bus lanes

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