LDV has announced it will bring its second electric ute offering to Australia in 2025 – the new eTerron 9 which will also be available in a diesel variant..
LDV, once a British van manufacturer but now a subsidiary of Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor, says both the LDV e-Terron 9 electric ute and LDV Terron 9 new-generation diesel ute had arrived in Australia for local validation testing.
Company engineers have reportedly been testing the Terron 9 on major arterials and backroads in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, as well as metropolitan areas and the outskirts of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane – to validate the vehicle’s advanced safety systems such as speed sign recognition, lane-keeping assistance, and other electronic aids.
Sales of LDV’s first Australian electric ute, the eT60, have been “modest” – to say the least, with reportedly only around 100 models sold since it went on sale in late 2022 – but the company is expecting a different story for the eTerron 9.
Image Credit: LDV
“This is a completely different vehicle, inside and out,” said Dinesh Chinnappa, general manager of LDV Australia.
“We are proud that the LDV eT60 was the first electric ute in Australian showrooms, but we are also proud to demonstrate just how far electric ute technology has progressed with this all-new model.
“Certain segments of the ute market are not only ready for an electric ute, they’ve been pleading for one. Particularly fleets and mining companies who want a factory-built, turn-key solution straight off the showroom floor, rather than a diesel vehicle that has been converted to electric power.”
Sporting another geometric-inspired exterior design, the dual-cab eTerron 9 nevertheless displays some slight design differences between the electric and diesel versions, such as different headlight designs.
Measuring in at 5500mm in length and 1997mm wide, with a height of 1860mm, the eTerron 9 are among the largest utes in their class.
While LDV has not yet offered up any official specifications, the eTerron 9 was teased earlier this month at the Mobility Live conference in Melbourne, and homologation documents filed with the Australian government’s road vehicle regulator gave us a bit of an insight into what we can expect.
Image Credit: LDV
Two variants of the eTerron 9 are expected, a 200kW rear-wheel drive (RWD) variant and an all-wheel drive (AWD) dual-motor model with 200kW on the rear and 125kW on the front.
Further details, including pricing and full specifications, are expected to be announced closer to deliveries to Australian showrooms. LDV expects first shipments to arrive in the second quarter of 2025, but this will depend on final validation testing.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.