LDV Maxus
Encyclopedia
The Maxus is a van model, originally produced by LDV Limited
. It was launched in late 2004. The model was jointly developed by LDV and Daewoo Motor
, prior to Daewoo entering receivership in 2000, in a five year, £500 million development programme. Following General Motors' acquisition of Daewoo, LDV secured the exclusive rights to the vehicle, purchased the tooling and moved it from Daewoo's plant in Lublin, Poland to the LDV site in Birmingham
. A version of the Maxus is manufactured by GAZ
.
In 2011, the Chinese company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) launched a new commercial vehicle marque called Maxus
, following its acquisition of the intellectual property of LDV in 2010. The LDV Maxus model is being relaunched by SAIC as the V80.
, Royal Mail
and various UK police services. Not long after its launch the LDV Maxus was awarded the Professional Van and Light Truck Magazine
"Van of the Year 2005" and has since won several further awards including "Van of the Year", "Minibus of the Year" and "Combi of the Year".
LDV was acquired in 2006 by the Russian automotive giant GAZ
and there are plans to start production of the Maxus in one of GAZ's Russian factories by 2010 but the LDV factory went into administration in June 2009, due to lack of funds from Russian owner GAZ. Some 800 workers were laid off during this period leaving the whole van building operation in question. It had been hoped that the Malaysian company Weststar LDV, which distributed the Maxus under licence in Asia and the Middle East, would acquire LDV, but the deal fell through the week before LDV entered administration.
In 2008 LDV manufactured 10,000 vans, generating sales of about £150m, but lost £54m in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 before the failure of the company.
In August 2010, China's SAIC, which bought most of the LDV assets, planned to launch the Chinese version of Maxus in 2011 and in April 2011 announced the Maxus would be called the Datong (meaning big wisdom and smooth in Chinese) under its new Maxus brand.
s, three roof heights and a choice of 2.8t, 3.2t and 3.5t GVW. The vehicle is also available in these roles:
LDV Limited
LDV Group Limited was a British van manufacturer, based in the Ward End area of Birmingham.In its history part of Rover Group and Leyland DAF, was latterly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian GAZ group...
. It was launched in late 2004. The model was jointly developed by LDV and Daewoo Motor
GM Daewoo
GM Korea Company is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer and is a division of the General Motors Company. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo which was split from its parent company, Daewoo Group, in 2001...
, prior to Daewoo entering receivership in 2000, in a five year, £500 million development programme. Following General Motors' acquisition of Daewoo, LDV secured the exclusive rights to the vehicle, purchased the tooling and moved it from Daewoo's plant in Lublin, Poland to the LDV site in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. A version of the Maxus is manufactured by GAZ
GAZ
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
.
In 2011, the Chinese company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) launched a new commercial vehicle marque called Maxus
Maxus
Maxus is a commercial vehicle marque owned by SAIC Group. It was launched in March 2011.The name of the marque originates from the Maxus model of the defunct British commercial vehicle manufacturer LDV Group, following the acquisition of LDV's intellectual property by SAIC in 2010. The first Maxus...
, following its acquisition of the intellectual property of LDV in 2010. The LDV Maxus model is being relaunched by SAIC as the V80.
History
Since its launch, the Maxus received good reviews and sold well across the UK. The van is being used on fleet basis by companies such as TranscoNational Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
, Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
and various UK police services. Not long after its launch the LDV Maxus was awarded the Professional Van and Light Truck Magazine
Professional Van and Light Truck Magazine
iVan is a United Kingdom based automotive industry magazine, which tracks the light commercial vehicle industry, and was first issued in September 2003....
"Van of the Year 2005" and has since won several further awards including "Van of the Year", "Minibus of the Year" and "Combi of the Year".
LDV was acquired in 2006 by the Russian automotive giant GAZ
GAZ
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
and there are plans to start production of the Maxus in one of GAZ's Russian factories by 2010 but the LDV factory went into administration in June 2009, due to lack of funds from Russian owner GAZ. Some 800 workers were laid off during this period leaving the whole van building operation in question. It had been hoped that the Malaysian company Weststar LDV, which distributed the Maxus under licence in Asia and the Middle East, would acquire LDV, but the deal fell through the week before LDV entered administration.
In 2008 LDV manufactured 10,000 vans, generating sales of about £150m, but lost £54m in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 before the failure of the company.
In August 2010, China's SAIC, which bought most of the LDV assets, planned to launch the Chinese version of Maxus in 2011 and in April 2011 announced the Maxus would be called the Datong (meaning big wisdom and smooth in Chinese) under its new Maxus brand.
Variants
The MAXUS is available in two wheelbaseWheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
s, three roof heights and a choice of 2.8t, 3.2t and 3.5t GVW. The vehicle is also available in these roles:
- A multi-purpose role, mixing seats and space for transport of goods
- A minibusMinibusA minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
version providing 10, 12, 15 or 17 seats - A Chassis Cab version with Dropsides, Tippers, Lutons and Box Vans