SPY PICS: China's answer to Toyota Fortuner revealed
LDV's first passenger vehicle touches down in Sydney prior to D90's world debut in Shanghai later this monthUPDATE 12/04/2017 12:45pm: LDV has now released an image of its all-new D90 SUV undisguised in Australia, where it goes on sale late this year.
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Not content with launching its first one-tonne ute rival for Toyota's all-conquering HiLux in October with its all-new T60 ute, China's largest vehicle-maker SAIC Automotive will release a closely related SUV to compete with the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest in Australia by the end of this year.
What's more, the all-new seven-seat off-road SUV – LDV's first passenger vehicle -- has already landed Down Under as the subject of a publicity shoot ahead of its world debut at the Shanghai motor show on April 19, as you can see from these images obtained by motoring.com.au.
We understand two camouflaged pre-production D90 prototypes are currently in Australia undergoing four days of chassis calibration testing outside Sydney, where former Miss China, Zhang Meng, and marketing executives from Maxus (as LDV is known in China) are also filming the D90 for promotional purposes.
As you can also see from these images taken at Wollongong and outside Macarthur LDV in Campbelltown, LDV's production-ready D90, as it will be called, is very similar to the concept of the same name that appeared at the 2016 Beijing show last April.
Like the HiLux/Fortuner, Ranger/Everest, Holden Colorado/Trailblazer, Isuzu D-MAX/MU-X and Mitsubishi Triton/Pajero Sport, the D90 will be based on the same sturdy ladder platform as the T60 but fitted with a five-door wagon body, independent rear suspension and new interior with a third row of seats.
Both new LDV vehicles should be powered by a 110kW 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine matched to an automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
In Australia, LDV – whose SAIC sister brand MG has just relaunched here with the GS SUV and MG3 and MG6 small cars – was launched in June 2015 and so far only sells on the G10 and V80 vans and, from October, the T60 ute.
Like them, however, the D90 SUV will be a global model produced in left- and right-hand drive and developed for Western markets in Australia, which will play a pivotal role in the brand's export success.
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