In the 2010’s the Japanese Government issued a tender for a new ‘universal design’ taxi for the 2020s. Replacing the disability-unfriendly sedans, the new taxi had to be lower emission, higher accessibility, and meet strict exterior dimension rules. It also had to “evoke the same sense of recognition as the iconic London black cab“.

The winning design came from Toyota, who paired their 1.5 litre hybrid system to a design that looked… almost exactly like a London black cab. Imitation… flattery… and all that.

This excellent recreation of the Toyota JPN Taxi comes from previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Ralph Savelsberg, who has replicated the cab now plying the streets of Japanese cities superbly in Miniland scale. Three conventionally hinged doors, one sliding door, an opening hood, and an opening tailgate all feature, and you can click here to catch a ride across Tokyo at Ralph’s photostream.