LDV Maxus returns to UK

LDV returns to UK market from China

• 09 December 2015
  
• By Will Shiers
  

The LDV brand will return to the UK next month, following a seven-year absence.
The vans, which are built in China by SAIC Maxus (part of the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation), will be imported into the UK by Dublin-based Harris Group – which already has a deal to distribute LDV in Ireland.
The first model to reach these shores will be the V80, which is a heavily re-engineered Maxus (below left). Available as a chassis cab, panel van or minibus, it has GVWs of either 3.2 or 3.5 tonnes. It features a Euro-5 2.5-litre VM Motori turbo diesel engine (136hp/330Nm), which is matched to a Mitsubishi 6-speed manual transmission.
The interior has been revised, and the long list of standard features includes air conditioning, cruise control, dual airbags, electrically adjustable heated mirrors, Bluetooth and reversing sensors.


Towards the end of 2016 it will be joined by the G10 panel van (below right), which is a new design. This vehicle, which is also produced as a passenger car, has similar dimensions to the Mercedes-Benz Vito. It will be powered by the same 1.9-litre diesel engine (175hp) that appears in MG cars.
Other LDVs joining the UK line-up in the coming years will be the EV80, which is a full-electric version of the V80, and an all-new pick-up truck.
Initially, the Harris Group has a quota of 3,000 units, which will be imported under national small series type approval. This mix of V80 panel vans, chassis cabs and G10 vans will be sold through 16 dealers. When Euro-6 product arrives in early 2017, and volumes increase, the dealer network will expand.
All LDVs, which will be “competitively priced”, are backed up with a five-year 125,000-mile warranty and five-year roadside assistance.

Aintree Truck and Van are the first LDV V80 dealer in the UK - based centrally in Aintree Liverpool, we have been established as a commercial vehicle dealer for 40 years with our parent company MTC Northwest, part of the Steve Gray Group we have all of the experience and knowledge to support all of your vehicle requirements