LDV G10 people mover axed, replacement coming

Australia’s cheapest people mover has been discontinued.

Only a limited number of LDV G10 people movers remain in dealer stock, but its van counterpart continues on, albeit with price increases of between $500-526 across most of its range.

LDV says a replacement for its people mover is coming, though it hasn’t provided any more details. In the meantime, it offers only 11-, 12- and 14-seater versions of its much larger Deliver 9.

The brand, known as Maxus in its home market of China, offers a range of people movers there.

In addition to the G10, it sells the G50 and G50 Plus and the G90. The first two are considerably shorter, narrower MPVs, roughly the size of a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi, while the G90 is closer to the G10 in size and hit the Chinese market earlier this year.

It measures 5280mm long and 2000mm wide on a 3200mm wheelbase. A G10, in contrast, is 5168mm long, 1980mm wide and rides a 3198mm wheelbase.

The G90 also has an electric counterpart, called the Mifa 9, which was launched late in 2021. SAIC Motor says it plans to introduce it to markets like Europe and the UK this year.

The rear-wheel drive Mifa 9 has a 183kW electric motor and a 90kWh lithium-ion battery sourced from CATL. Claimed range is 560km, albeit on the generous CLTC test cycle.

The G90, in contrast, uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, mated with an Aisin-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission and a 48V mild-hybrid system.

Total outputs are 172kW of power and 390Nm of torque, and it features MacPherson strut front and five-link independent rear suspension.

Safety equipment on the Mifa 9 and G90 includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as front and front-side airbags plus curtain ‘bags for all three rows.

SAIC Motor says they’ve been designed to achieve a five-star ANCAP rating.

The full complement of safety kit is in addition to available niceties like a head-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, and a futuristic dashboard with three separate displays.

The new vans are a huge leap in technology over the G10, which lacks any active safety technology and doesn’t even have side airbags, only one each for the driver and front passenger.

The G10 van and people mover range has a disappointing three-star ANCAP rating, based on testing conducted in 2015, which is set to expire on December 31, 2022.

ANCAP previously allowed star ratings to apply indefinitely, but a rating validity period introduced in 2018 requires vehicles to be tested again under new protocols after six years has passed.

The G10 has been a fairly steady seller since launch despite its disappointing safety credentials, though sales spiked by 47 per cent last year to 1064 units.

That figure saw it within striking distance of the Honda Odyssey (1143), if well adrift of the Kia Carnival (5862).

People mover sales have remained virtually static since the G10 arrived here in 2015.

That year, 11,946 people movers were sold, while last year that was down only slightly to 11,202.

The Kia Carnival has remained the dominant player, though familiar nameplates like the Toyota Tarago and Hyundai iMax have been replaced and the Honda Odyssey is on its way out.

A raft of lower-volume models have also been discontinued, including the Chrysler Voyager, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, Kia Rondo, and SsangYong Stavic.

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