LDV South Africa opens its doors
A national dealer network is now being appointed, with construction on the first LDV dealership in Sandton, Gauteng, already completed. A national parts distribution warehouse agreement is also nearing completion.
The LDV brand is well-known among global vehicle enthusiasts. Born in the United Kingdom in 1896, the brand has evolved and changed over a century to become Leyland DAF Vehicles in 1987.
It later became known by its acronym, LDV, which has since become its registered brand name.
LDV is best known for its pick-ups, SUVs and vans. LDV Automotive Australia sold over 21000 units last year, with the T60 range of pick-ups feature as top-seller among entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The modern LDV brand is part of SAIC Motor, the largest vehicle manufacturer in China and one of the 10 largest vehicle manufacturers in the world. The company sells more than 5 million vehicles in China alone and it exports to most regions across the globe, including Europe, the U.S. and Australasia.
SAIC is a Fortune 100 global company and the Chinese vehicle partner to General Motors and Volkswagen.
It is also the manufacturer of the top-selling Chinese brand Roewe and the owner of global brands MG, LDV and Maxus.
In 2023, it was confirmed that SAIC and its various electric vehicle brands have cornered over 13% of the global electric vehicle market.
This included over 100000 vehicle sales in Europe, one of the most demanding vehicle markets and the future home of a new SAIC manufacturing centre.
The company already has international production facilities in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Pakistan.
Following the announcement of its new manufacturing plant in Europe, SAIC signed a partnership agreement to support the luxury Audi brand with its IM EV platform for future all-electric vehicles.
SAIC Motor has three global innovation centres, based in Silicon Valley in the U.S., London in the UK and Tel Aviv in Israel. The company also has three
international design centres based in London, Munich in Germany and Tokyo in Japan.
In South Africa, the Maxus brand is already well known after entering the market as the preferred electric commercial vehicle brand for Woolworths home delivery services.
Many of the commercial vehicles in use under this agreement will soon be available in their internal combustion form from LDV South Africa.
LDV South Africa will open its showroom floors with a comprehensive model line-up, starting with a selection of T60 double cab pick-ups.
These models have already proven their worth in right-hand drive markets with similar climates and vehicle usage patterns such as Australia, but it has also completed a rigorous local testing and approval cycle, including full homologation.
With the local testing schedule completed, LDV South Africa will offer a comprehensive five-year or 200000km factory warranty and a five-year or 100000 km service plan as standard, across the product range of SUVs, vans and pick-ups.
“Few vehicle brands can lay claim to the track record and history of LDV. On a global scale, SAIC and its family of vehicle brands such as LDV dwarf other Chinese vehicle manufacturers, and on a regional scale LDV has already firmly proven and established itself in right-hand drive markets such as Australia and New Zeeland, where it is a very popular brand,” said Ockert Conradie, general manager at LDV South Africa.
LDV South Africa will launch its first range of pick-ups in May and will release detailed information on the complete vehicle range soon.