2024 LDV Chinese electric ute to take on Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux with big power, style and tech

LDV plans to shake up the ute market with its upcoming all-electric dual-cab that hits Australian roads late in 2024 or early 2025.

A world apart from the largely underwhelming eT60 that’s sold in small numbers, the yet-to-be-named newcomer is expected to leverage the latest electric tech that debuted on the eDeliver 7 and eDeliver 9 vans.

That should translate to a slicker driving experience, better driving manners and performance, and a longer range between charges, as the new LDV tries to tempt traditional ute buyers from their traditional diesel powerplants.

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LDV Australia general manager Dinesh Chinnappa also confirmed it will be offered in two- and four-wheel drive guises, the latter playing into the sweet spot of the ute market.

“It’s an impressive vehicle – based on what I’ve just seen with the Deliver 7, why couldn’t they do it again? There’s no reason,” says Chinnappa, who recently returned from China where he saw the new ute.

“We’re in it to grow, grow, grow, grow, grow – that’s our objective,” he added, saying the EV was an important part of the move to take a larger slice of the dual-cab pick-up market.

Showcased as the Maxus GST concept – GST is also the codename for the production version – the new ute promises lashings of tech and serious performance.

The GST concept has four electric motors and a monstrous 746kW and 1120Nm – although don’t expect those numbers to translate to the production car.

Currently in its final stages of development, the new LDV ute will initially arrive as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) before diesel versions follow months later.

Chinnappa believes the EV will initially be a niche within the segment – making up maybe 20 percent of the model mix – but that it would appeal to businesses keen to lower their fleet CO2 emissions and improve their environmental credentials.

But the announcement of proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standards to come into play in 2025 could fast track the shift to electric.

As for taking the fight to the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux – the two top selling vehicles in Australia in 2023 – Chinnappa believes the new ute has got the goods.

“We aspire to take in the pick-up market somewhere between five to seven per cent share,” said Dinesh Chinnappa, general manager of LDV Australia, part of the broader Ateco Group.

That would translate to something like 15,000 sales annually.

“We’d be expecting to do with the GST…those sorts of numbers as a minimum.”

He references the success the company has enjoyed in the relatively short time of having the eDeliver 9 on sale as an indicator of the potential.

“There’s nothing stopping SMCV (Shanghai Motor Commercial Vehicle Company, LDV’s parent) from doing the same in the ute market … because they’re capable and the proof of that is in the Deliver,” Chinnappa said.

He says it’s a matter of getting the product right.

“You’ve just got to get the balance. You’ve got to get the right product at the right price with the right spec,” he said.

While the LDV ute is going up against the reputational might of the Ranger and Hilux – the Hilux with a dominant reputation for durability and toughness – Chinnappa also believes the value focus will be accepted by Australians.

“That’s the beauty of Australia – we’re open to new brands. We don’t have inbuilt prejudices,” he said.

Australia could also play a role in the naming of the upcoming LDV ute. Chinnappa says his team was asked to supply 10 potential names, all of which are in the mix.