The LDV double-cab ute has scored five stars for crash safety in the Australian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP), the first Chinese-made vehicle to crack the maximum score from the get-go.
Not only did the four-wheel-drive T60 hit the safety jackpot first up, it scored higher overall points than all but one of its rivals, the top-selling Ford Ranger.
The T60 scored 35.46 out of a possible maximum 37 points; the Ranger scored 36.72. The T60’s crash test result was announced today, roughly one month after the actual test and when the T60 went on sale in New Zealand.
ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin said the result would help the T60 gain traction in the ute sector on both sides of the Tasman.
“This broadens the segment even further with added choice for safety-conscious consumers using their ute for work and weekends,” Goodwin said.
“The T60 performed well in our crash tests, although like all light commercial utes currently tested, it lacks autonomous emergency braking.”
The LDV T60 is made by China’s SAIC Motor, the seventh largest global carmaker. LDV New Zealand chairman Rick Cooper said New Zealanders can have full confidence in the brand and its parent company SAIC Motor.
“The product range is backed by a 100 per cent Kiwi-owned distributor and dealer network,” he said. “We are so confident in this vehicle we are backing it with a five-year/130,000 tully transferable warranty.”
ANCAP scores for utes since 2011:
Ford Ranger 36.72 pts
LDV T60 35.46
Nissan Navara 35.01
Holden Colorado 34.89
Toyota Hilux 34.45
Isuzu D-Max 33.58
VW Amarok 32.99
The T60’s strong score was helped by features such as blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, active headlights, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera and a chassis tuned for right-hand-drive markets.
The T60 range will be further bolstered with a single-cab chassis variant arriving in December, with two-wheel-drive models arriving early 2018, and space-cab models to follow later.
The current LDV Ute range starts at $28,990 plus GST for the Elite manual 4WD version.