Great Lake sticks with LDV despite UK shift

Kiwi-owned Great Lake Motor Distributors says it is sticking with the LDV brand in New Zealand, despite the United Kingdom distributor switching to a new name.

But another electric van model is unlikely to be available here from LDV just yet.

In the UK, the commercial vehicle line will now be sold under the Maxus name, the brand the SAIC-produced vehicles are sold under in the Chinese market.

Maxus was originally the model name of the manufacturer’s V80 van line when it was developed in a joint venture between LDV and Daewoo in the early 2000s.

Great Lake general manager Andrew Bayliss says at this stage there are no plans to make the shift.

A new V90 van, launched as part of the brand reveal in the UK, is likely to arrive here in August.

Electric-van operators will need to wait a little longer. While the brand has found success with the EV80 electric model, Bayliss notes they are now out of stock, and while there is an EV90 with a larger 74kWh battery it is not a given yet for the market.

“It will be on a case-by-case basis, as we get enquiry we will look at it,” he says.

A smaller EV30 is still likely for the NZ market, but is not yet being produced in right-hand drive.

Bayliss says a meeting is being held with the Chinese firm to work out elements of the future product plans.