Maxus launches in NZ with electric truck and bus focus

A new Chinese automotive brand has launched in New Zealand with a strong focus on electric commercial vehicles, including battery-electric trucks and buses.

Maxus Automotive has launched as a standalone distributor for SAIC’s Maxus brand, led by owner Deon Cooper and general manager Andrew Bayliss, both formerly of Great Lake Motor Distributors, which previously distributed LDV and SsangYong in New Zealand.

“Maxus is actually a brand in itself under SAIC, which differs from LDV in that they kind of do the special projects and bespoke models,” Bayliss says.

The company has secured its own distributor agreement directly with SAIC and says its range will focus on motorhomes, caravans, electric trucks and buses rather than directly competing with Inchcape’s LDV line-up.

The launch range includes the eDeliver75 electric truck in short and long wheelbase configurations, along with a distributor agreement for Sunwin electric buses.

The company also offers two motorhome models, a campervan and a Luton cab-over, with a ute-based off-road variant planned for the future.

Bayliss says inquiry around the eDeliver75 electric truck has been strong, with FedEx currently trialling a demonstrator unit.

“Particularly for around town, like point-of-call deliveries, EV is not only because there’s a subsidy, but there’s a requirement, people want electric trucks,” he says.

He says orders remain modest at this stage because the truck has only recently arrived on the market, but interest from freight operators is broad.

Interest in the Sunwin electric bus range is also growing as operators prepare for future low-emissions fleet requirements.

Bayliss says bus operators tendering for new contracts are a key target market, with new tenders increasingly requiring electric vehicles even while operators continue running existing diesel fleets.

*Go to autotrader.co.nz for more on this story.