The electric LDV T60 is blocked for New Zealand, but will the EV version of the Isuzu D-Max competitor Toyota HiLux get the green light for Australia?
The electric LDV eT60 is very similar to the regular diesel T60 Max (pictured) sold in Australia.
Is LDV going to surpass all other brands by launching Australia's first electric car?
The Chinese brand is gearing up to launch the eT60 all-electric pickup truck across the Tasman in New Zealand, where it will be the country's first electric vehicle.
It recently appeared on LDV's New Zealand website and interested buyers can pay a $1000 deposit with shipments starting in the third quarter. Prices in New Zealand have not yet been announced.
The LDV eT60 looks almost identical to the T60 Max and is powered by a single permanent magnet synchronous motor mounted on the rear axle paired with an 88.5kWh battery pack delivering 130kW/310Nm of power and a WLTP range of 325 km.
Considering it will be sold in New Zealand, another right-hand drive market, it makes sense that it would also be offered in Australia given the physical proximity and some similarities between the two markets.
However, in each country the brand is distributed by separate companies. In New Zealand it is operated by Great Lake Motor Distributors and in Australia the SAIC-owned brand is imported and sold by Ateco Automotive.
Cars Guide understands Ateco is working on an electric vehicle plan for Australia, but details are scarce. It remains to be seen if the eT60 will be the first or if it will be one of the electric LDV commercial vans already on sale in other markets, including New Zealand.
The eDeliver 9 - an all-electric version of the Deliver 9 - is available in New Zealand as a chassis cab and two van sizes, while the smaller eDeliver 3 van is also sold there.
Whatever happens, the Ford E-Transit electric van is expected to outperform the eDeliver 9 in the market, with the former coming mid-year.
If the eT60 eventually gets the green light to launch in Australia, it could still be one of the first mass-produced EVs to launch here.
Rivian has announced plans to launch its R1T electric pickup in "major markets in the Asia-Pacific region" in the coming years, with Australia almost certainly on the list.
Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck could also end up in Australia, while it's hoped companies like GMSV and RAM Trucks will eventually offer converted versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500 electric vehicles.
So far, none of the major players in the one-ton vehicle segment, other than LDV, have announced fully electric versions of their popular vehicles. Ford is expected to eventually release a hybrid version of the next-generation Ranger, but Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Isuzu and Mazda haven't said anything about future plans.
New Zealand has also just passed legislation on its Clean Car Standard, which will open up discounts on the purchase of zero and low emission vehicles, as well as penalize people who buy high emission vehicles such as utes, trucks and some XNUMXxXNUMXs.
In contrast, Australia does not have a federal electric vehicle incentive program, although several states and territories, including New South Wales, ACT and Victoria, launched schemes last year.
