THE load-lugger market in Australia just got more interesting with the arrival of the Chinese-built LDV G10 in both goods delivery van and passenger minivan variants, both with driveaway pricing starting below $30,000.

On paper, the first home-grown product from LDV – the one-time British company that was acquired by China's biggest motor company, SAIC, in 2009 – looks set to give established players such as Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Renault some heartache.

Afterall, with a ZF six-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment and boxes for items such as rearview camera, alloy wheels and Bluetooth already ticked, the rivals are looking a bit awkward.

But as we have seen with Chinese vehicles before, the spec list is not the end of the story, with build quality and crash safety performance often letting the side down.

The lack of a diesel engine at launch does not help, either.

Still, the LDV G10 is set to cause a buzz as a value-for-money proposition in a market segment where every cent counts.



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