UK light commercial vehicle specialist LDV has launched a completely new range of vans called Maxus.
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To launch the new line, the company last year secured £45 million growth funding from an equity syndicate led by venture capitalist 3i. Comprising European Acquisition Capital and Baring English Growth Fund, this complete total funding of £90 million.
The investment was used to complete the development of the new van line and install a new manufacturing facility at its Washwood Heath site in Birmingham.
Earlier in 2004, LDV has secured the intellectual property rights from bankrupt Daewoo to manufacture and globally distribute the Maxus and bought tooling, worth £125 million, from eastern Europe to build the van line in the UK.
After that long and complex gestation, the Maxus panel van is being offered with two wheelbases and three roof heights – standard, high and extra high – with the rear doors matching the roof heights to maximise access to the cargo area.
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By GlobalDataThe Maxus has a VM 2.5 litre common rail 16-valve turbo diesel engine similar to those used in European market versions of DaimlerChrysler’s Jeep Cherokee (Liberty) and Chrysler Voyager minivan lines. The version used in the Maxus is available in two power outputs at launch, with a third coming later.
LDV’s previous van range was essentially a much-modified British Leyland design with a heritage dating back to the 1980s – and rear wheel drive.
The Maxus, like top-selling rivals made by Renault and the Citroen/Fiat/Peugeot joint venture, has front wheel drive which, LDV said, provides “several valuable customer benefits, with the driving experience familiar to a generation raised on front wheel drive cars”.
Front drive, the company said, results in a lower driveline weight to allow more payload to be carried while the absence of a driven rear axle allows a lower cargo floor, Front drive also delivers “excellent” traction in adverse weather and when unladen.
The Maxus body construction provides a rigid passenger safety cell with occupant protection developed to better the injury criteria defined in North American safety standards. Other safety equipment available includes Bosch ABS 8 braking with electronic brake distribution and a driver’s airbag as standard.
Development included cold weather testing in the Arctic Circle in Sweden and deserts of Western Australia and over one million kilometres (600,000 miles) of road testing, plus crash testing of 16 vehicles.
For cost-sensitive fleet buyers, the new LDV has claimed class-leading service intervals of 20,000 miles (30,000 kilometres), while repair times are “low” and spare parts costs “competitive”.
LDV also claims its 95PS Maxus is more economical than key competitors but did not supply figures.
Despite launching the new van line, LDV will continue to manufacture the Convoy range of chassis cabs and minibuses.
