Electrical Connection Autumn 2017

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C hina’s biggest motor company, Shanghai Automotive
Industry Corporation (SAIC), unveiled the all-new T60
one-tonne utility for its burgeoning LDV brand at the
recent Guangzhou auto show in China, ahead of an Australian
launch in the second half of 2017.
The T60 will be distributed in Australia by Ateco Automotive
and sold through a growing national dealership network that at
the time of writing had reached almost 50 retail outlets – and
which is expected to rise to at least 80 by the time the pick-up
is launched here.
Both SAIC and Ateco have high hopes for the new utility,
which will be pitched at tradies as a value-for-money
proposition that provides a cut-price but nonetheless
competent alternative for the major Thai-built Japanese and
American players including the market-leading Toyota HiLux
and Australian-developed Ford Ranger.
It will also go head-to-head with rival Chinese brand, Great
Wall, and its new-generation Steed, which at this stage is only
available as a petrol or diesel dual cab with a manual gearbox,
priced from $25,990 plus on-road costs for the 4x2 petrol.
The Australian launch line-up is still to be confirmed, but
SAIC management have confirmed a broad range of T60
model variants will be offered in Australia, covering various
body styles (including single and dual cab, the latter with an
extended tray option), petrol and diesel powertrains, manual
and automatic transmissions, 4x2 and 4x4 drivelines, and two
suspension heights.
The Chinese manufacturer says that its “comprehensive
global range will enable LDV to tailor a local market range to
cover all sectors of the Australian ute market”.
The model shown in Guangzhou was a dual cab with four-
wheel drive and a 2.8L VGT engine, details of which were still
under wraps but this is expected to be a diesel (with variable
geometry turbo technology) powering much of the T60 range.
LDV says the utility is built on an all-new platform with a
high-tensile steel chassis protected by galvanisation, advanced
wax injection and new paint processes to minimise chip
damage. This has also prompted the company offer a 10-year
warranty against corrosion.
Ateco is working with the factory to ensure entry level
pricing starts below $30,000, while ensuring a high level of
safety engineering and equipment goes into the utility in a
bid to secure a maximum five-star crash test rating from the
independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program
(ANCAP) – a level which is now the target for virtually all light
commercial brands.
Up to six airbags will be fitted to the T60, along with ‘double
pre-tensioning seatbelts’ and a variety of electronic safety
systems. Parking sensors, 360o cameras, a separate reversing
camera and a driver fatigue alert system have also been
developed for the ute.
LDV
ldv t60
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