LDV ute and SUV confirmed for Oz

Chinese brand LDV is ready to do some heavy lifting.

The commercial vehicle arm of the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) - China's largest car maker - is preparing to take on established players in two of Australia's most popular vehicle segments with an all-new ute family that will also spawn a rugged seven-seat SUV.

Details of the twins have yet to be officially confirmed with the ute scheduled to be revealed at the 2016 Ghuanzhou commercial vehicle show in late November while the SUV is expected to have been previewed by the Maxus D90 concept that premiered at the 2016 Beijing motor show in April and arrive in early 2018.

But senior LDV officials visiting Australia this week outlined the range, with SAIC Vice President Lan Qinsong telling local media it will mirror existing lineups such as the popular Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger with trade-focused single cab and family-friendly dual cab body styles, offered with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, manual or automatic gearboxes and two- or four-wheel drive transmissions.

It is anticipated that the ute will share its modern front-end styling with the D90 and feature a host of modern conveniences and safety equipment, with Neville Crichton, the head of LDV's local importer Ateco Automotive, declaring the car will have a five-star crash-test rating and will match the benchmarks for towing and load-carrying capacity.

"It will be competitively priced but not at the bottom of the bucket like some of those other Chinese brands. It doesn't need to be," he said.

"We're no different to a (Mitsubishi) Triton or (Ford) Ranger. We will launch the car with a 2.8-litre diesel so we don't see it a lot difference whether it's out of Thailand or Japan with the Japanese makes."

SAIC officials said the arrival of the ute will play a significant role in the company's ambitious target to achieve 17 market share within the segments it competes in while expanding its annual volume almost ten-fold to 10,000 units per annum.

Crichton was a little less bullish when asked by local media if that was achievable, claiming the brand could easily sell 5000 units in 2016 despite the ute only landing in local showrooms half way through the year.

But he said the brand would be sustainable by the end of 2017 with plans to double its dealership network from today's 40 outlets within the next 12 months.

LDV is also preparing to expand its commercial van lineup with the addition of a battery-powered version of its EV80 people mover. The car has been on-sale in China for a few years and is currently undergoing evaluation for local certification.

It is powered by a 7.5kWh battery pack that has a range of approximately 170km on a mix of urban and highway driving or up to 310km/h at a steady 40km/h.

"I'm not totally convinced it will be homologated for next year, but they are confident it will be," Crichton said, adding that it would primarily appeal to urban-based delivery businesses or short-distance shuttle buses.

"[pricing] is a major issue at this stage. The car is not competitively priced unless the government offers any form of incentive."

Either way, Crichton - who has successfully managed local sales for a diverse range of brands, from sportscars such as Ferrari, Maserati and Lotus to budget cars from Chery and Great Wall - claims that LDV will be a "major player in the commerical market".

"I won't say we'll knock Toyota off in the commerical business - that's crazy stuff. By June next year, we will outsell Peugeot and Peugeot has been here for 50 years.

"We're not going to be a little brand."

Visit Drive's LDV showroom for more details