LDV confirms electric eTerron 9 ute a non-starter for NZ

Following a drawn out ‘will they, won’t they’ period, the local arm of LDV has confirmed that it will not offer the fully electric eTerron 9 dual-cab ute in New Zealand. 

The marque announced that it was evaluating the eTerron 9 for its New Zealand line-up in May of last year, to the extent that the brand had brought at least one test unit to the country. But, a representative of local distributor Inchcape told CarExpert NZ that the group has elected to skip the variant for our market.

LDV became the first brand to offer a pure electric pick-up in New Zealand when it brought in the eT60 in 2022. The plug-in ute struggled in market, with slow sales and the Government’s pulling of the Clean Car Discount eventually forcing substantial discounting. 

The eTerron 9 combines a huge 102kWh battery with 430km of range on the WLTP cycle, with dual motors producing 325kW of power. Unlike the eT60, it boasts a 3500kg braked towing capacity and all-wheel drive.

LDV recently also dropped the standard, long-in-the-tooth entry-level T60 from its pick-up line-up. This means the recently introduced $44,990 T60 Max becomes the brand’s most affordable dual-cab option, underneath the flagship Terron 9.

Whilst we won’t be getting the eTerron 9 locally, there is a caveat. 

The eTerron 9’s MG equivalent, the U9 EV (shown above, left), is set to arrive in dealerships later this year. The brand teased that the model could see a local launch as early as Q3 of 2026, at its launch of the MG 4 and MG 4 Urban in April. 

As far as the fully electric ute segment is concerned, there are just two entries currently in market. 

The first is the Geely Riddara RD6. Priced from $69,990 in its single Pro specification, it offers a range of up to 360km from a 73kWh battery, it makes 315kW of power, and a braked towing capacity of 3000kg. 

Toyota recently joined the fray with its first fully electric Hilux. Its 59.2kWh battery boasts a range of up to 315km, it makes 144kW/468Nm, and braked towing capacity is rated at 2000kg. Its pricing is set between $79,990–$85,990.