South Africa: LDV launches its presence onto the South African market

By MWorld Team Apr 8, 20240

A Chinese automotive giant, LDV is entering into the South African market. The brand will be headquartered in Sandton, Gauteng, from where it will serve a national network of dealers. A national dealer network is currently being appointed, with construction on the first LDV dealership in Sandton, Gauteng already completed. A national parts distribution warehouse agreement is nearing completion.

The LDV brand is well-known among global vehicle enthusiasts. Born in the United Kingdom in 1896, the brand has evolved and changed over a century to become Leyland DAF Vehicles in 1987. It later became known by its acronym, LDV, which has since become its registered brand name.

LDV is best known for its bakkies, SUVs and vans. LDV Automotive Australia sold over 21, 000 units last year, with the T60 range of bakkies feature as a top-seller among entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The modern LDV brand is part of Saic Motor, the largest vehicle manufacturer in China and one of the ten largest vehicle manufacturers in the world. The company sells more than five million vehicles in China alone and it exports to most regions across the globe, including Europe, the USA and Australasia.

Saic is a Fortune 100 global company and the Chinese vehicle partner to General Motors and Volkswagen. It is also the manufacturer of the Chinese brand Roewe and the owner of global brands MG, LDV and Maxus.

In South Africa, the Maxus brand is already well known after entering the market as the electric commercial vehicle brand for Woolworths home delivery services. Many of the commercial vehicles in use under this agreement will soon be available in their internal combustion form from LDV South Africa.

LDV South Africa will open its showroom floors with a model line-up, starting with a selection of T60 double cab bakkies.

With the local testing schedule completed, LDV South Africa will offer a five-year/200,000km factory warranty and a five-year/100,000 km service plan as standard, across the product range of SUVs, vans and bakkies.

LDV South Africa will launch its first range of bakkies in May 2024 and will release detailed information on the complete vehicle range soon.