Australian distributor signs up for Chinese LDV vans
WMC Group signs “multi year” agreement with Chinese manufacturer SMCVA new range of Chinese-built vans and mini buses designed in Europe to meet European crash and emissions standards will hit Australian roads from October this year.
A deal signed this week between Chinese manufacturer SMCV and the Australian distributor WMC Group hands the Australian company “multi-year” distribution rights for the LDV commercial vehicle range. WMC will not state exactly what the term of the arrangement is, other than saying the agreement will take both partners well into the “next decade.”
WMC says it has signed the first order for 120 LDVs to be shipped out to its 45-dealer network. Company CEO Jason Pecotic says the agreement will allow the company “to invest strongly in after sales support and parts back up, confident that a long term agreement is in place.
"I believe we have demonstrated our enthusiasm and professionalism for the LDV van during the past few months as preparations for the launch of the new vehicles has been underway and this has given SMCV the confidence to agree to a long-term agreement," Mr Pecotic said at the time of the announcement.
"Australia is a very important new market for SMCV and the LDV brand so the extensive work WMC Group has put into preparing for the launch of the brand has set the foundation for a very successful future," said the managing director of SMCV, Mr Lan Qingsong.
Keen to defuse doubts about the safety and integrity of Chinese-made vehicles, Mr Pecotic said that LDV commercial vehicles meet European crash and safety standards, as well as the latest emissions standards. With suspension tuning by European engineering consultant MIRA, an Italian VM Motori 100kW/330Nm 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine and a long list of standard equipment (including rear barn doors, tyre pressure monitoring, 16-inch alloy wheels, dual sliding doors and door integrated electric entry steps), LDV product seems on the surface to tick all the right boxes.
The initial range of LDV models will be supplemented with “other models and variants” in 2013.
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