LDV to widen range with all-new model

Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2007

LDV looks set to add a new model from its Russian parent company GAZ's range to its UK line-up within the next year-and-a-half. To be badged as an LDV, it will be bigger than Maxus (pictured).

“The product we have in mind already exists, is chassis-based, but will be available with a van body, is rear-wheel drive and will go up to 6.5 tonne,” says LDV chief executive, Steve Young. It is likely to require some engineering changes, however, before it is acceptable to British buyers. “We aim to sell around a thousand a year,” he says.

The Birmingham-based van maker is also looking to add a model that's smaller than Maxus to its portfolio. It is unlikely to be built by LDV itself — or by GAZ — and could be a rebadged version of a vehicle sourced from a Western European manufacturer.

In the meantime it is adding 105 bhp and 135 bhp engine options to its Maxus line-up and will shortly unveil a Maxus chassis cab.

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