New LDV Mifa 9 electric people mover lands

A NEW fully electric people mover called the Mifa 9 has arrived in Australian dealerships this week from SAIC subsidiary LDV, just a week after the arrival of its internal-combustion sibling the Mifa with which it shares a trio of trim levels but commands a serious premium with an opening price of $106,000 before on-road costs.

From launch, the Mifa 9 seats up to seven occupants – an eight-seater is coming next year – within its 5270mm long and 2000mm wide body, and will take them up to 440km on one charge of its 90kWh battery pack.

The full-electric LDV Mifa 9 sells for about double the price of its petrol alternative, itself priced from $53,990 before on-road costs and by no means a budget alternative to the likes of the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria.

In fact, it is priced more closely to the Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer ($116,115 + ORC) that has a slightly shorter claimed battery range of 421km and less standard equipment.

Like the petrol Mifa range, the Mifa 9 is available in three variants; the Mode, starting from $106,000, followed by Executive from $117,000 and Luxe from $131,000 (all prices plus on-road costs). These are respectively $52,010, $53,010 and $58,010 more than their petrol equivalents.

LDV does not expect to sell boatloads of the Mifa 9 in Australia, at least initially, according to the brand’s Australian general manager, Dinesh Chinnappa. 

“It is a lot of money. But it is what it is. Firstly, for volume aspirations, we know we are not going to sell millions of these things. Sales will be relatively modest to begin with,” he said.

Mr Chinnappa said LDV anticipated two types of buyers for the electric Mifa 9.

“There are some people out there, families, who will simply have to have one, they want to be environmentally friendly and they appreciate the luxury and technology that is in that car. It will be a family that has the capacity, will and desire, they’re early adopters and they love the tech and modernity,” he said.

“Then there’s the corporate sector, the top end of town and government, we see as being our primary buyers for the first six to 12 months. We don’t see many mums and dads or too many small businesses”

Features across the board include heated side mirrors, remote keyless entry and start, multi-zone climate control, leatherette upholstery, 12.3-inch infotainment display and seven-inch driver information display. Seven USB ports are dotted around the cabin.

Stepping up to the Executive adds auto up and down power windows, rain-sensing wipers, auto fold side mirrors, front and rear sunroofs, rear privacy glass, leather steering wheel, electric adjustable front seats, second-row electric adjustable seats, electric powered sliding side doors and tailgate, 64-colour ambient lighting, an eight-speaker system over the Mode’s six-speakers, two 12v sockets, one 220v socket and a wireless mobile phone charging pad.

Luxe adds leather seats, digital rear-view mirror, heated steering wheel, 12-speaker sound system, driver’s seat with memory function and both front seats and second row captain’s chairs with fold-out tray tables, heating/cooling and massage function, with the second-row seats also offering a recline function and footrest. 

Safety is covered off with blind-spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, emergency brake assist, lane departure warning, lane change assist, fatigue reminder and attention assist, dusk-sensing LED headlights and taillights, rear collision warning and speed assist system.

Adaptive headlights with auto beam assist, front parking sensors and a 360-degree camera are standard on Executive and Luxe.

Suspension is MacPherson strut at the front, multi-link coil spring at the rear and disc brakes are fitted all-round. Wheels are multi-spoke alloys either in 18-inch on Mode or 19-inch on Executive and Luxe, with a tyre repair kit for all variants.

The Mifa 9 weighs from 2310kg (Mode) to 2535kg (luxe) and has a minimum payload of 525kg (Luxe) and maximum of 655 (Mode). Towing capacity is 1000kg braked, with a maximum 100kg towball download.  

Colour offerings including Blanc White, Dynasty Red, Metal Black, Pearl White or Mica Blue. Concrete Grey or Snow Cyan are also available, with contrasting black roof.

An eight-seat model is expected to arrive early in 2023.

Sliding third-row seating permits up to 1010 litres storage space when all seven seats are occupied, and up to 2179 litres when just four seats are being used.

The Mifa 9 is energised by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery that can be charged via an 11kW charger in approximately 8.5 hours.

DC fast-charging takes approximately 36 minutes to charge from 30 to 80 per cent. The motor puts out 180kW of power and 350Nm of torque, and claimed power consumption is between 21.3kWh and 21.8kWh per 100km, depending on variant. The Mifa 9 has a maximum range of up to 440km and offers regenerative braking.

The Mifa 9 launch drive programme was no more than a taste test, with about 15 minutes driving in total, so we will have to wait for when we have more time with the Mifa 9 to draw more conclusive impressions.

For now though, the Mifa 9 would seem to have plenty of performance, refinement and good ride quality at low to middling speeds at least. There is no shortage of space in the three rows for large adults to sit comfortably, although the Luxe’s second row captain’s chairs are a little tight to get past to the third row.

The Mifa 9 has a five-year/200,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year/200,000km battery warranty. Servicing intervals are once every two years or 30,000km and five years of roadside assistance are included.

2023 LDV Mifa 9 pricing*

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.