LDV Van Range On Sale In Australia

Chinese carmaker SAIC has at last launched its light commercial vehicle range in Australia, arriving under the new 'LDV' marque. 

Distributed in Australia by Sydney-based WMC, the first models to go on sale in Australia will be the three-variant V80 commercial van range. 

All models are powered by a 2.5 litre VM Motori common-rail turbodiesel engine built under licence in China, producing 100kW and 330Nm of torque. 

Mated to a five-speed manual as standard and a front-wheel-drive layout, fuel consumption is listed at 7.7 l/100km in Chinese-market tests, although local figures are still to be confirmed.

A petrol engine  and a six-speed automatic option are expected to join the range later in 2013, along with a number of passenger models. 

Suspension in the V80 commercial vans is MacPherson struts up front and a solid beam-axle with leaf springs at the rear. WMC says the LDV vans' suspension has been tuned by England's MIRA specifically for Australia.