New electric ute at forefront of pitch to spark up brand’s performance.

KIWIS will swap from an electric utility that has failed to fire up much interest to one which in concept resolves all the current choice’s shortcomings.

The boss of Inchcape New Zealand believes next year’s new rig, previewed by an all-electric study (above) called the Maxus GST, is imperative to reinvigorating latest acquisition LDV New Zealand.

“We have seen the vehicle and we believe it will sell,” says Wallis Dumper, reflecting on his recent visit to LDV in China and also on the challenges and prospects for the brand here.

The launch timeline has yet to be reconciled but it will occur in 2024, with overseas’ reports suggesting mid-year. The sooner the better for Dumper: Maxus utility is crucial. 

Although it will also again represent with a diesel engine, spotlight is on the battery edition so far represented as a design proposition; if everything that vehicle - seen at a major motor show in China in February - comes into production, then it will be a major step forward.

What is already clear is that Maxus GST previews a replacement for the LDV eT60, which came in as the market’s first electric ute and still sites as the sole battery-reliant utility. Yet hasn’t resonated much with EV fans.

After 20 months’ availability, the plug has been pulled. A fire sale that rips more than $20,000 from the original sticker aims to exhaust stock by December 31, when the Clean Car rebate likely ends.

Time was running out any way. The new double cab is about to enter production in China and LDV’s new national representative wants it ASAP.

It’s not just because of ongoing belief in electric. If it presents in the showroom as it has on the show stand special, the Maxus GST potentially comes as a much stronger challenger to the current diesel-fed sector favourites.

One plus with the concept was that it displayed with drive via four motors, one on each wheel, feeding from a central battery. 

Effectively the same configuration as two North America-restricted big off-roaders, the Hummer EV and the Rivian R1T electric pick-up.

If that configuration comes into production, then it gets all-wheel-drive - which resolves criticism of the original being rear-drive only (with a precariously-slung, exposed drive motor). 

All-paw aptitude might lift the currently 1500kg towing capability - a piffling limit in ute circles.

LDV parent Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has also promised to fix another shortcoming. Poor range.

SAIC reckons the Maxus GST electric will have a driving range of more than 1000 kilometres on a single charge. That figure is based on China's CLTC test cycle, which is more lenient than NEDC, WLPT, and EPA tests used in other markets. Still, the current model gets 325 kilometres’ running at best from a charge when measured to WLTP. 

Then there’s the stomp. A massive 746kW power - that’s 1000bhp in old speak - and an equally stupendous 14000 Newton metres’ torque was cited for the show truck. 

Even if detuned it would have advantage over the eT60; which makes 130kW/310Nm.

SAIC has yet to fully relate the battery type or size for Maxus GST. The eT60 has an 88.5kWh battery.

Any improvement would be appreciated, and the truck is larger, better styling and better-kitted as well. There will doubtless be hope it is better presented - poor finish and cost corner-cutting (the eT60 being derived from a petrol reminds with it retaining a key start) have been other bugbears with the current vehicle.

Wallis Dumper, who as Inchcape NZ boss inherited LDV (and another acquisition from Great Lakes, SsangYong) on top of his regular job, heading Subaru NZ, says the Maxus will bring challenges.

For one, the electric edition will “unavoidably” price higher than eT60’s full Clean Car Discount-enabling RRP of $79,990. “It will be more expensive because it is newer, better and leaps taller mountains.”

Another priority is to convince LDV parent Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) that ‘GST’ won’t carry currency as a model name, assuming it is being considered by the factory. 

Dumper says it’s not clear yet if GST is an actual model or a factory code title. On his recent visit to Shanghai, he made point of gently suggesting to management why “you can’t use the code name here” as a model designation.

However, the vehicle is needed as soon as possible, he says, as a family hero to renew focus on LDV - if that’s what it is still to be called.

In addition to retuning focus on commercial vehicles being this China-made make’s forte, dropping LDV as a brand name and instead putting everything behind the Maxus badge, SAIC’s commercial model nameplate in China, is a prospect.

“We are doing a consumer study on LDV right now,” Dumper says. 

“A lot of (NZ) customers who buy LDVs are actually Chinese people and they recognise Maxus more than they recognise LDV.” 

But the Maxus utility timeline is why “we’re getting ourselves ready. We’re clearing the eT60s in hope of the production of its replacement. The aim is that the people who buy the eT60s will hopefully be first cab off the rank to buy the first of the next generation.”

Inchcape secured LDV distribution from Great Lake Motor Distributors Group in August.

Among challenges has been sorting sorting stock levels, with e-T60 (below) being the primary target.

When it debuted at the start of 2013 as the first electric ute here, prospects looked strong. Previous management said then the level of interest in the model was “unprecedented”. 

An industry publication quoted LDV’s general manager of the time as saying that “within minutes of journalists filing their copy at the media event … and the online ordering system going live on our website, orders started rolling in.”

That level of excitement appears to have been short-lived. The model has failed to attract much buy-in at all and there’s excess stock.

On October 10 Inchcape cut the price to $72,975, then a week later reduced it again to $56,990. That sticker still holds and, with a Clean Car rebate, it’s a $49,975 buy.

That special price runs to December 31 - conceivably when the new National-led Government axes the rebate.

Dumper will not say how many vehicles are stock, but says it a significant count - more than a year’s supply.

“When we purchased the company there was a lot of excess stock.”

He believes previous management likely saw Government policy in respect to electrics then would be favourable to having more eT60s - but, of course, the election has now happened, policies have changed and the rebate scheme seems a goner.

“My assumption - and this isn’t fact - is that people (in previous management) probably looked at what the Government plan was and probably imagined that, by bringing these in in bulk, they would be ahead of the game.

“Nobody predicted the change of Government would be so resounding and that the next government would say they were going to scrap the Clean Car Discount.

“That throws a different light on the whole thing and from our perspective, we were going ‘well, we’ve got too many cars, there’s a new model coming, we’ve got to get ourselves to the new model’ because we are very confident in that new model.”

Even though the new administration has yet to form a Government, Dumper is sure CCD - aka ‘ute tax’ - will go by December 31 because “National has been quite strong on that and, from what I can see, the other parties (in the new alliance) align with that.”

He says regardless, the bigger cost impact on distributors - which will pass on to consumers - is the Clean Car Standard, a separate legislation to enforce low-to-no (so, electric) CO2 vehicle sale, which hits distributors harder than CCD ever affected buyers. Vehicles at point of arrival either cop a penalty, or get a leniency, depending on how they fare on CO2 counts that are designed to become tougher over the next few years. CCS seems set to remain without change.

“There’s still like, a massive tax, on all the ‘dirty’ cars so my assumption is that the CCS will stay and that collects millions in taxes for Government and, one assumes, that when we bring in the new models they will also enjoy the CCS.”

Dumper feels LDV needs to go back to its roots here; which means focussing on being a commercial vehicle specialist. There’s no elaboration about what that ideal means for the passenger-primed Mifa9 electric people carrier or D90 petrol sports utility the previous rights holder delivered.

He says LDV stock coming here will align with that going to Australia, but has discounted a report there that suggests only the electric is being exported, with the diesel being restricted to China.

“I don’t know exactly what Australia are doing, but I do know we will get the Australian spec options. 

“My assumption is we will get what Australia gets. But I was of an understanding that there would be more than just an electric vehicle - we need both (diesel and electric) and that’s what Australia definitely needs, too.”

There is a facelifted version of the current T60 available in China, sold under the 'Interstellar H' name, but what role that might play is not clear. The current type cannot be sold in Australia after March 2025, as that’s when autonomous emergency braking technology that it lacks becomes mandatory for all new vehicles.

The current LDV T60 was last facelifted in 2021 when it adopted a new front end, updated interior and a more powerful twin-turbo diesel engine, but the structure of the vehicle dates back to 2017.