LDV has revealed a new addiction too its delivery van line up, with the Deliver 7 set to hit Australian roads late this year or early in 2024.
Local distributor Ateco, unveiled the new eDelivery 7 and Deliver 7 at a media lunch this week stating clearly that its is serious about taking a strong share of the electric light commercial market and says it wants to lead the sector locally within two years, with the eDeliver7 set to play a pivotal role in achieving that goal
The eDeliver 7 is equipped with a 77kWh battery and will be available in a range of variants in Australia including short- and mid-wheelbase bodies with standard roof, or a mid-wheelbase high roof version. Depending on the model LDV is claiming a range of up to 370km o a WLTP cycle.
The nicely styled new LDV van, has a very contemporary look, with hints of Hyundai’s Staria and VW’s Transporter and should capture a significant share of both the diesel and electric van market if the keen pricing of its siblings including the larger Deliver 9 model, which has already captured strong sales results in the large van sector.
With an overall height of 1990mm in the standard roof models, LDV says it hits the sweet spot for van buyers with 70 per cent of sales in the local van market taken up by vans with under two metre roof height.
Ateco would not confirm whether it will offer a people mover version of the Deliver 7 or eDeliver7, but this is believed to be on the cards at some stage in the future.
The company did reveal that it will have a higher capacity 88kWh battery option coming, whcih it says should give an added range of between 30 and 48km.
LDV says the eDeliver 7 can be charged using AC or DC power, with a charging rate of 90kW for the 77kWh battery.
As mentioned the new LDV van will also be sold with a diesel power train and although Ateco did not confirm tech details for the oil burner, the model is sold in China with a a two-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with either 125k of power and 320Nm of torque or in a higher power 150kW/375Nm version.
In an indication that LDV is serious about electric it has previously stated that it intends to launch new electric driveline models first with ICE models following the zero emission models to market.
Although it did not reveal the actual pricing or on sale date LDV said the eDeliver 7 will be priced to make it “accessible to many, many more” Australian businesses.
Not surprisingly the eDeliver 7 is bristling with a range of safety tech offering active safety and driver assist features, including includes autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, a surround-view camera and traffic sign recognition.
There is also a massive new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the centre of the dash. While some of LDV’s past infotainment systems have been a bit clunky, the company says it has developed new software that can better integrate both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and has a better user interface.
The eDeliver 7 is about 370mm shorter than its larger sibling the eDeliver9 and is also on a 366mm shorter wheelbase in the short wheelbase variant, while the mid wheelbase models will have a length of 5364mm length on its 3366mm wheelbase. LDV claims a cubic capacity of 5.9 cubic metres for the SWB standard roof, 6.7 cubic metres in the MWB model and 8.73 cubic metres for the MWB high roof version.
Ateco would not confirm whether the arrival of the eDeliver7 /Deliver7 will see it replace the ageing LDV G10 and V80 vans, b ut we believe this will be likely as the Chinese maker upgrades its image and sets its sights on grabbing more van sales in the highly competitive light commercial market.
Ateco also revealed that a new larger and more aggressively styled pick up, known in China as the GST , and possibly set to debut here late in 2024 or early in 2025. The new ute may sit above the current T60 and eT60 or potentially replace the older model, that is yet to be confirmed, with the new ute set to have independent rear suspension and with both BEV and ICE powertrains.
