2023 Alpine A110 R set for the race track – but not Australia

Strict side-impact rules that knocked the Alpine A110 out of Australia will also prevent a final cameo with the track-focussed R.

Renault-owned sports car brand Alpine is going all-in with a final track-focused send-off for its A110 sports car, before the niche French brand goes out of production in the coming years.

The 2023 Alpine A110 R is due to be unveiled next week, but the French brand issued an early tease with illustrations of the go-faster parts it will add to the final version of the mid-engined lightweight – which in 2017 put Alpine back into business as the sports-car division of Renault.

The tweaks to the A110 R include a bigger high-mounted rear wing and underbody aerodynamic diffuser, and bigger wheels and racing seats.

But Alpine was unable to do anything about the additional side-impact crash protection needed to satisfy new Australian regulations that ended local sales last year – so the A110 R will not be making a final appearance in Australia.

“I don’t see it being a vehicle that would pass ADR85. That’s what killed the whole A110 program in Australia,” the general manager of Renault Australia, Glen Sealey, told Drive.

But he re-confirmed plans to return Alpine to local showrooms once the French company has suitable cars – come 2025, when it launches three new electric vehicles.

“Alpine is not a dead brand at all, it’s an ongoing brand,” Sealey said.

“It’s not being abandoned. We still have a website and that shows we’re still committed.”

The A110 R will star for Alpine at the Paris motor show from October 17, where Renault will may also unveil the production version of the electric Renault 5 city car – which is being targeted for the Alpine performance treatment.

Alpine said the R in the A110’s name stands for Radical, and it will be lighter, sharper, and more extreme than the standard car, or even the current flagship A110 S.

The mechanical package includes a sportier damper tune, and bigger wheels pointing to better brakes.

The latest teaser from Alpine confirms outputs from the 1.8-litre turbo engine of 340Nm, and in excess of 220kW – up from 215kW/320Nm in the current A110 S – with a top speed of 285km/h.

Although the R is a definite non-starter for Australia, Sealey told Drive a recent meeting with Alpine executives in Paris provided more detail on the comeback plan in Australia.

“We are planning on bringing in the new range of Alpines, once they become available for production,” he said.

“They are working on three vehicles. One is a replacement for the A110, one is an SUV and one is an Alpine version of the Renault 5.

“We would like to think 2025. But there is no guarantee of that.

“We have to wait for the decision on right-hand drive. Electric cars should be different in future, with less complexity and cost to include right-hand drive.”

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Dacia budget brand due in Australia in 2024 with Renault badges but safety doubts

French brand Renault will bring its budget affiliate Dacia from Romania to Australia in 2024, but the vehicles may not have a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

French carmaker Renault is targeting an attack on Australia’s budget-car market using its Romanian value brand, Dacia, from 2024.

An all-new Dacia Duster compact SUV will lead the launch, but all Dacia models planned for sale locally will wear Renault badges to avoid confusion for customers – and bypass the massive costs of establishing a new brand in the overcrowded Australian market.

It is likely to be followed by the larger Bigster family SUV, already previewed as a concept but not set for production until 2024 or 2025.

However, to meet its targeted low prices, the Renault-owned company’s vehicles are not engineered to score five-star safety ratings – and lack many of the advanced safety aids fitted to dearer cars.

Above: Dacia Bigster concept.

“We see a terrific future for the Dacia [models], but badged as Renault for sales here,” Glen Sealey, general manager of Renault Australia, told Drive.

“Everything has to be new-generation product. The current generation of product won’t work.

“We would see it starting with all-new Duster. It won’t be released until 2024.

“[Dacia has] unveiled the Bigster and we’d have our hand up for that [once it reaches production]. Any new product that Dacia would introduce, particularly around the SUV space, we’d be keen for.”

Above: Dacia Jogger people mover.

Mr Sealey said the Dacia project had been underway since the Ateco Group – a highly-successful independent importer with a history including Australian agencies for Suzuki, Audi and Kia – took over the distribution of Renault in Australia from April 2021.

“We are still a long way off. We would have brought the Duster in [its] current form, but ADR85 [a side-impact safety requirement that killed the Nissan GT-R in Australia] put paid to that. It was never going to happen,” he said.

The executive believes changes in the Renault range will create clear space for Dacia in Australia.

“As we move into the electrified space, and with Megane [E-Tech Electric hatchback] … coming through, the core Renault range will be moving up. That leaves room for something like the Dacia brand.

“From our perspective, the most exciting thing from Dacia is it appeals to private buyers, and they are focused on an outdoor lifestyle.

“They make vehicles for people. It’s what you need, not what you want. It’s the basics, and good value for those basics.”

Even so, Mr Sealey concedes the challenge in bringing another brand to Australia.

“We wouldn’t have brought it as the brand Dacia. Our preference has always been to rebadge the vehicles as Renault,” he said.

“The top 10 brands make up 70 per cent of the Australian market. It’s 69 brands competing in a 1.2-million [vehicle sales] market. It doesn’t need another one from us.”

The executive also concedes the challenge of a brand without five-star ANCAP safety ratings, but said Dacia’s safety approach was out of his control.

“I can’t change that. I’m not going to be able to change, from an Australian perspective, Dacia’s decisions on where they want the vehicles to be in terms of Euro NCAP ratings,” said Mr Sealey.

“Five-star has been the norm in the passenger space, but we’ve got new criteria coming in 2023. How any brand responds to that, I’m unsure.

“At the end of the day, there is a cost. By being a five-star versus a three-star, there is a significant cost. And we don’t get to make that decision. That is a manufacturer’s decision.

“If they come as a four-star or a three-star, we deal with it as three or four-star. If it comes as five-star, terrific. I’ll have to work with what I get.”

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Citroen Oli electric concept revealed

The quirky French brand’s odd-ball styling has peaked with the Oli – an electric car concept with body panels made from cardboard.

The Citroen Oli is the latest concept car from the French car-maker, highlighting the future of vehicle production with sustainable materials, electric power and quirky styling.

Positioned as a bigger sibling to Citroen’s current Ami micro car, the Oli – pronounced “all-e” – is said to outline the brand’s ambitions to reduce its environmental impact at every stage of a car’s life cycle.

The Citroen Oli’s bonnet, roof and pick-up tub panels are made from recycled cardboard – corrugated in a honeycomb pattern and reinforced with fibreglass, developed by German chemicals company BASF.

According to Citroen, the cardboard-based panels are strong enough for an adult to stand on, despite weighing half as much as equivalent steel panels.

Limited to 110km/h, the Citroen Oil was designed as a city runabout rather than a highway cruiser, with aerodynamics a low priority – evident with the concept’s vertical windscreen.

Due to its reduced size compared to a typical curved windscreen, Citroen claims the glass weighs less and is cheaper to produce. The cabin is also less likely to heat up, leading to lower demand on the air-conditioning system, saving up to a claimed 17 per cent of the battery’s power.

Citroen claims the Oli can achieve a driving range of up to 400km, while its 40kWh battery can be topped up from 20 to 80 per cent in approximately 23 minutes using a DC fast charger.

Vehicle-to-load technology allows the Citroen Oli’s battery pack and 3.6kW power socket to power an external 3000W electrical device for up to 12 hours. 

Citroen doesn’t say how big the Oli is, but it looks to have a footprint similar to a small hatchback, but is as tall as a larger SUV.

LED headlights and tail-lights are fitted at the front and rear of the Oli concept, flanking Citroen’s new badge design – revealed earlier this week.

The steel and aluminium wheels are wrapped in bespoke Goodyear Eagle ‘GO’ tyres, made from sustainable and recycled materials. 

Goodyear claims the concept tyres are designed to run for 500,000 kilometres before a change is needed – more than 10 times the recommended schedule for most road cars.

Billed as an electric pick-up, the Citroen Oli’s load bed is 994mm wide and can expand from 679mm to 1050mm in length, and between 330mm to 582mm in height.

Inside the Oli, its doors are stripped of speakers and sound deadening, reducing weight by approximately seven kilograms on each side.

With no door speakers to omit sound, the Citroen Oli’s dashboard features removable Bluetooth speakers and a smartphone dock, allowing occupants to bring their own devices.

Citroen claims the Oli’s mesh seats are made from 80 per cent fewer parts than those used in a traditional SUV, down from 37 pieces to just eight.

The result of Citroen’s crash diet? A targeted weight of 1000kg – more than double the 2.4m-long Ami’s 485kg kerb weight but approximately 600kg lighter than Australia’s best-selling electric car, the 4.7m-long Tesla Model 3.

Citroen has not announced plans for the Oli to enter production. 

As reported earlier this week, the Citroen brand plans to go fully electric in Europe by 2030, and currently offers five electric cars in its global model line-up – the e-C4, e-C4 X, Ami, e-Spacetourer and e-Berlingo.

None of Citroen’s electric cars are sold in Australia.

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Toyota boss challenges California emissions plan, bans on new petrol car sales

Toyota president Akio Toyoda says the planned ban on pure petrol-powered vehicle sales in California in 2035 needs to be reconsidered in a broader move towards carbon neutral motoring.

The world’s biggest carmaker believes it will be difficult to achieve a planned ban on the sales of new, non-hybrid petrol and diesel cars in California by 2035 – and has renewed its calls for consumers to be offered a range of efficient vehicle types, not just electric cars.

Toyota has acknowledged the need to move to a carbon-neutral future but believes the California ban – which is now reported to be copied in New York state – is not workable with current technology and for many consumers.

“Realistically speaking, it seems rather difficult to really achieve that,” the president of the Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda, told a briefing for reporters in Las Vegas, reported by Automotive News. 

“Everything is going to be up to the customers to decide.”

Mr Toyoda also said a planned national goal for 50 per cent of new vehicle sales in the USA by 2030 to be zero emissions would be “very difficult”.

Toyota led the drive towards petrol-electric hybrids – it has sold more than 20 million worldwide since 1997 including more than 300,000 in Australia – and is also working on hydrogen cars.

Mr Toyoda reiterated the transition to electric vehicles needed to be broader than a one-hit approach, cautioning that regulations “tend to narrow the options available for solutions toward carbon neutrality”.

“Playing to win means playing with all the cards in the deck – not just a select few. So that’s our strategy and we’re sticking to it,” he told dealers and employees at a presentation in the USA.

Although Toyota has been late to move towards battery-electric vehicles, it has a plan to launch 20 electric vehicles by 2030, with the BZ4X coming to Australia as its first in recent times (although US sales are currently suspended because of wheel problems)

“But, just like the fully-autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now, [battery-electric vehicles] are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe,” Mr Toyoda said.

“Toyota is a department store of all sorts of powertrains. It’s not right for the department store to say, ‘This is the product you should buy’.”

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2022 Ford Focus ST, Fiesta ST nearly sold out in Australia

Stock of the final Ford Fiesta STs and Focus STs in Australia is depleting – and once they’re sold, there will be no more.

The last shipments of the 2022 Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST are selling out quickly, as Australians snap up what are likely to be the last Ford hot hatchbacks with petrol power.

Much of the final batch of 40 Ford Focus STs – and a larger, undisclosed last allocation of Ford Fiesta STs – for Australia has been spoken for, two months on from news both cars would be axed from local showrooms this year.

A Ford Australia spokesperson told Drive this week “around a dozen” Focus STs remain – all allocated to Ford dealers, for customers to buy – while “approximately 50” Fiesta STs remain available, which “will most likely arrive in February 2023”.

“We would suggest customers call their local Ford dealership/s to check availability,” the spokesperson told Drive.

Once these cars are sold, there will be no more for their current generations – and plans for new models sit under a cloud, amid slowing sales of small cars, and growth in electric cars and SUVs.

Production of the current Ford Focus will end in 2025 – while the current Fiesta city car is expected to disappear from European showrooms in the next two years, in line with typical model life cycles.

Plans for next-generation models are yet to be confirmed, and look unlikely – as the Fiesta’s factory is set to be converted for electric-car production, and the future of the Focus’ factory is yet to be locked in after the current model ends production.

Once the final vehicles are deliveries, the sales tally for the current Fiesta ST will come to approximately 700 cars since its launch in early 2020 – while an estimated 700 to 1000 fourth-generation Focus STs will have been sold in Australia over the same time, according to Drive’s calculations.

MORE: Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST global future uncertain beyond current models
MORE: Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST axed in Australia
MORE: The slow demise of the Ford Focus and Fiesta in Australia

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Elon Musk claims Tesla Cybertruck will be “waterproof enough” to cross rivers and lakes

Elon Musk has boldly claimed the Tesla Cybertruck is capable of fording rivers, lakes and even seas – provided they “aren’t too choppy”.

The long-awaited and delayed Tesla Cybertruck may be able to cross rivers, lakes and calm seas – according to recent claims made by the electric-car giant’s outspoken CEO, Elon Musk.

In a post on Twitter, Musk claimed Tesla’s upcoming electric Cybertruck will be “waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat”, adding it could “cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy”.

According to Musk, the Tesla Cybertruck “needs (to) be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island,” referring to the rocket launch site of his space exploration company SpaceX, and a nearby island with further facilities, respectively.

While driving from Starbase – located in Boca Chica, Texas – to South Padre Island covers more than 60km by road, being able to cross the channel in an amphibious Tesla Cybertruck would reduce the direct distance to approximately 10km.

Needs be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2022

The Tesla CEO’s recent comments back up claims he made in a Twitter post from April 2020, in which Musk said the Cybertruck “will even float for a while”.

In July 2022, Musk said the Tesla Cybertruck is due to enter production in mid-2023 – almost four years after it was first unveiled as a concept in late 2019.

Production of the Tesla Cybertruck was initially due to begin in late 2021, however interruptions, global shortages of semiconductors, and delays within Tesla pushed back the radical electric ute’s planned launch.

In August, Mr Musk said the Tesla Cybertruck’s price will be “different” from its 2019 projections, citing rising inflation and production costs.

When it was unveiled in 2019, Tesla quoted a starting price of $US39,900 ($AU61,400 today) for its entry-level single-motor Cybertruck.

As previously reported, the ability for customers to place a $150 deposit on the Tesla Cybertruck has been removed from its Australian website.

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Do double-demerits follow you home if you’re an interstate driver?

Being booked for a double demerits driving offence could have a very different result – depending on where you live.

Double demerit point penalties are a regular police deterrent for bad behaviour on many Australian roads, but the outcome is not always the same.

People caught breaking the law while travelling interstate can suffer the same points penalty as home-state drivers – but not always and not everywhere.

The ACT transfers any points penalty for an offence committed in NSW directly to the driver’s license, including double demerits, but Queensland and Tasmania only apply the points penalty to match a similar local infringement.

In other words, you pay the NSW monetary fine – but the points applied to your licence are equivalent to the same offence in your home state.

Queensland is against using double demerit points as a holiday deterrent, taking a year-round approach instead.

“There is no proven safety or deterrent benefit from enforcing double demerit points during holiday periods only,” says a spokesperson for the state’s Transport and Main Road Department.

“It is more effective to enforce double demerit points for repeat offenders all year round as this directly addresses recidivist behaviour.”

NSW led the double demerits drive in 1997 and continues today.

“Double demerits are enforced to deter drivers from doing the wrong thing on our roads, over especially busy or dangerous periods,” said a spokesperson for Transport for NSW.

“Monitoring since the introduction of double demerit points indicates there is strong community support and self-reported behaviour change during holiday periods.”

The state-by-state situation on double-demerits, as reported to Drive by police and state government spokespeople in each state, is:

QUEENSLAND

“A Queensland driver who commits a demerit-point offence interstate will be subject to the demerit points that apply in Queensland for the same offence,” said a Queensland Police spokesperson.

“Double-demerit points for repeat offences in Queensland apply all year. This means that double-demerit points could apply if the driver has committed a previous offence within one year, rather than only during holiday periods.

“Additional demerit points are allocated for certain second or subsequent driver seatbelt offences, motorbike helmet offences, offences for speeding more than 20km/h over the speed limit and mobile phone offences, which are committed within one year after the first offence.

“You do not have to commit the same offence a second or subsequent time to receive double demerit points—the offence only needs to be within the same offence group.”

NSW

“The Demerit Points Scheme in NSW is based on a nationally agreed driver licensing scheme,” said a spokesperson for Transport for NSW.

“Demerit points can be accrued while driving anywhere in Australia. If you commit an offence outside NSW, the number of demerit points that the offence attracts in NSW may still be applied to your licence.”

ACT

“Double-demerit offences are applied by the jurisdiction, and drivers from another jurisdiction are subject to double-demerits,” said an ACT Police spokesperson.

“For example, if an ACT driver is caught speeding in NSW . . . that driver would have those double-demerits applied to their ACT licence, regardless of the fact the ACT doesn’t currently have a double-demerit period in force.”

TASMANIA

“Tasmania does not have double demerit periods,” said a Department of State Growth spokesperson.

“A person who holds a Tasmanian driver licence that commits an offense in another jurisdiction on a double demerit points day will be allocated the demerit points as if the offence was committed in Tasmania,” said a Department of State Growth spokesperson:

“Tasmania only receives the national offence code through the Demerit Point Exchange (DPX) system, maps this to the corresponding Tasmanian offence, and applies this to the person’s licence. Tasmania is not advised if the offence occurred on a double demerit points day.

“However, if a person disputes the offence and it was upheld in an interstate court of law, Tasmania would allocate demerit points in accordance with the court ruling.”

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

“South Australia (SA) does not apply ‘double-demerit points’ to drivers,” says a police spokesperson.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

“Double-Demerits are not currently used in the Northern Territory,” says a spokesperson for the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services.

“If an NT-licensed driver commits a driving offence whilst interstate the demerit point penalty, if any, is applied based upon the same offence being committed within the NT.

“Simply put, the regular penalty would be applied.” 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

“Demerit points accrued in another Australian jurisdiction require you to pay the infringement, however the demerit points are not recorded against your Western Australian (WA) driver’s licence,” said a spokesperson for the WA Department of Transport

“Where you make an application for a WA driver’s licence and surrender a driver’s licence from another Australian jurisdiction, any demerit points accrued in that jurisdiction are not transferable to the WA driver’s licence.”

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2018-2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel recalled due to fire risk

A manufacturing defect could lead to the diesel engine’s air intake sparking a fire.

Fiat Chrysler Australia has recalled 1431 examples of its 2018-2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, citing a manufacturing fault with the turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel-powered SUV’s exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler that could spark a fire.

It represents more than 10 per cent of the 12,808 Grand Cherokees sold in Australia over that period.

The recall notice, lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a manufacturing defect, the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler may crack over time.

“If this occurs, preheated vaporised coolant will build up inside the engine air intake. This could result in combustion potentially leading to a vehicle fire.

“A vehicle fire could increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property.

Date of recall notice	15 September 2022
Make	Jeep
Model	Grand Cherokee
Year	2018-2021
Vehicles affected	1431
VIN list	Click here to download the list of affected VINs
Contact link	Click here to contact the manufacturer

A full list of vehicle identification numbers for the 1431 vehicles involved in the recall can be found here.

Jeep Australia advises owners of affected vehicles to contact their nearest Jeep dealer to have their vehicle inspected and work carried out, free of charge.

Owners can contact Jeep Australia by phone on 1300 133 079 or via email at auscustomercare@fcagroup.com.

To have your vehicle checked, find your closest Jeep dealership by clicking here.

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Ferrari SP51 revealed as one-off supercar

Ferrari’s Special Projects team has revealed a bespoke roadster based on the production 812 GTS, commissioned by a wealthy collector in Taiwan.

The Ferrari SP51 is the latest in a long line of bespoke models to come from the iconic Italian company’s Special Projects division.

Based on the production 812 GTS convertible, the Ferrari SP51 was commissioned by a Taiwan-based collector who requested for just one of these two-door, front-engined supercars to be built.

With no roof of any sort on the SP51 – rather than the retractable hard-top of the 812 GTS – additional time towards high-tech simulations and wind tunnel testing was required to offer the “ultimate in comfort in the cabin,” according to Ferrari.

Only the door handles, tail-lights and wing mirrors appear to be carried across from the Ferrari 812 GTS, with the rest of the SP51’s body is bespoke to it.

Compared to previous Ferrari Special Projects models, the SP51’s exterior is relatively sedate, although it offers a new take on the 812 GTS donor car’s styling.

The Ferrari SP51’s ‘Rosso Passionale’ (Passionate Red) paint is complemented by dark blue and white stripes which run the length of the car, a nod to the 410 S racer from 1955.

While the SP51’s exterior underwent a major alteration from the 812 GTS, Ferrari kept the interior changes simple, upholstering the cabin in red Alcantara paired with blue and white contrast glovebox stripes and seat stitching.

A unique set of floor mats are embroidered with the SP51 name, while the steering wheel, dashboard and centre console are unchanged from the Ferrari 812 GTS.

Powering the SP51 is the 6.5-litre V12 engine from the 812 GTS, sending 588kW and 718Nm to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

In Australia, the Ferrari 812 GTS was priced from $675,888 plus on-road costs before it was order books closed in February 2022.

Ferrari did not disclose how much its Taiwanese buyer paid for the one-off SP51.

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2024 Volkswagen Golf facelift spied with large infotainment screen

The first spy photos of the Golf’s mid-life facelift have arrived, confirming the model will double down on touch-sensitive controls.

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf has begun testing its mid-life changes ahead of its unveiling next year.

Volkswagen engineers were caught on camera driving the updated Golf in Europe, with images clearly showing a much larger infotainment screen mounted in the centre of the dashboard.

As reported in August 2022, rumours out of Germany suggest the model will ditch its dual 10-inch screens – used for infotainment duties and the driver’s digital instrument cluster – in favour of 12.9-inch and 10.4-inch screens respectively.

Despite some criticisms, it appears Volkswagen will continue to integrate control of the car’s climate system within the screen settings, with multi-zone temperature buttons accessible below the screen, as in the current model.

Though this is the first evidence of the mid-life update, the new screens look to have been retrofitted to the current Golf for the sake of testing (rather than being a pre-production prototype), meaning there are no other interior or exterior differences with this particular car.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R.

While the larger screens aren’t yet locked in for the Australian market, Drive understands the mid-life updates are due on our shores in 2024, likely in the first half of the year.

In arguably the most exciting change to the line-up in years, Australia may also be in line to receive the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid when the ‘Mk8.5’ update is introduced here, with reports suggesting the model could offer up to 100 kilometres of electric driving range thanks to an updated powertrain.

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf 8.5 is expected to be shown in the second half of 2023, ahead of a local launch the following year.

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2023 LDV eT60 electric ute, eDeliver 9 van and Mifa 9 people mover confirmed for Australia

China’s LDV will be the first car-maker to launch an electric ute in Australia, due alongside a zero-emissions van and people mover in November 2022.

Chinese car-maker LDV has announced it will launch three electric vehicles in Australia this year – a van, people mover and Australia’s first electric ute.

Due to arrive in November 2022, the long-awaited LDV eT60 – an electric variant of the company’s diesel-powered T60 ute – will headline the range of electric vehicles, launching alongside the eDeliver 9 electric van and Mifa 9 people mover.

The LDV eT60 double-cab ute is equipped with a 130kW/310Nm electric motor which drives the rear wheels, powered by an 88.5kWh battery pack. 

LDV T60 diesel ute

LDV claims the 2300kg LDV eT60 has a driving range of 330km on the European WLTP test cycle, however this is only achievable when the electric ute is unloaded.

According to LDV, the eT60’s driving range is slashed reduced by as much as 50 per cent when towing at its maximum capacity of 1500kg.

An onboard 11kW AC charger allows the LDV eT60 to be charged from five to 100 per cent in approximately nine hours, while the electric ute can DC fast-charge from 20 to 80 per cent in about 45 minutes.

While Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed, the LDV eT60 is priced from $NZ79,990 drive-away in New Zealand – about $72,000 when converted to Australian currency, approximately 65 per cent more than the T60’s flagship diesel model.

The LDV eDeliver 9

In addition to the LDV eT60 ute, the Chinese brand will bring the eDeliver 9 van to Australian commercial customers, joining the expanding electric van market which includes models from Renault, Mercedes-Benz and Ford.

Based on the diesel-powered LDV Deliver 9, the eDeliver 9 is available overseas in three body styles – Big (short wheelbase), Bigger (long wheelbase) and Cab Chassis – offering between 9.66 to 10.97 cubic metres of load volume.

LDV is yet to confirm which variants will be available in Australia.

The LDV eDeliver9 utilises a 150kW/310Nm electric motor on the rear axle which is powered by the same 88.5kWh battery pack as the eT60. AC and DC charging capabilities are unchanged from the electric ute.

In New Zealand, only the range-topping LDV eDeliver 9 Bigger is equipped with the 88.5kWh battery pack, offered alongside 51.5kWh and 72kWh variants of the Big and Bigger.

The LDV eDeliver 9 88.5kWh is priced from $NZ99,990 drive-away in New Zealand – equivalent to $AU87,900, approximately 40 per cent more expensive than the flagship Deliver 9 LWB automatic in Australia.

LDV’s Mifa 9

LDV’s third electric vehicle to arrive this November will be the Mifa 9 people mover, the Chinese car-maker’s only all-new model due to launch in Australia.

The seven-seat Mifa 9 is the first LDV model to be built on a dedicated electric platform, with UK-delivered variants powered by a 180kW/350Nm electric motor, coupled to a 90kWh battery pack.

On the European WLTP test cycle, the LDV Mifa 9 achieved a claimed driving range of 440km, with an onboard 11kW AC charger topping its battery up from five to 100 per cent in 8.5 hours. Using a DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes.

The LDV Mifa 9 will be equipped with a suite of safety technology including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rear collision warning system, lane departure warning, lane change assist, emergency lane keep assist, electronic stability control and a fatigue reminder.

LDV says an eight-seater variant of the Mifa 9 electric people-mover is due to arrive in early 2023. 

The LDV Mifa 9, marketed as a Maxus overseas

Drive understands a new-generation, petrol-powered LDV people mover (known as the G90) is expected to follow the Mifa 9 next year, replacing the G10 Wagon which was axed in June.

LDV is expected to confirm Australian pricing and specifications of its three electric vehicles closer to their local showroom arrival in November 2022.

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