LDV Group Limited

"For other uses see LDV"Infobox_Company
company_
company_name = LDV Group Limited
industry = Automotive
company_type = Subsidiary
parent = GAZ
foundation = 1993 as Leyland DAF Vans from Leyland DAF in receivership
location = flagicon|United Kingdom Washwood Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands
products = Automobiles
revenue =
key_people = Martin Leach
num_employees = 2,000
net_income =
operating_income =
homepage = [http://www.ldv.com/ www.ldv.com]

LDV Group Limited, formerly "Leyland DAF Vans", is a British van manufacturer, based in the Ward End area of Birmingham, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian GAZ group.

The vehicles

LDV produce a range of panel vans, pick-ups and minibuses, all available with various modifications and specifications. LDV's main customers are large British corporations, such as the Royal Mail, Transco and many other utility companies, which have demonstrated a preference for British-built vehicles.Fact|date=September 2007

Current range

The current range of vans, the Maxus, was introduced in 2005. The Maxus was originally planned as a joint venture with Daewoo of South Korea. Daewoo however, went into receivership in 2000 before the project came to fruition. LDV subsequently acquired the exclusive rights to the van from General Motors, who had taken over Daewoo, and purchased the existing tooling and shipped it all to Birmingham from the Daewoo plant in Poland where the van was originally intended to be built. [cite news
title=Van maker plans 1,000 new jobs
date=2003-08-19
publisher=BBC
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3165425.stm
accessdate=2007-09-07]

The Maxus is fitted with direct injection, common rail, diesel engines supplied by VM Motori. [cite web
title=Current Vehicles
publisher=VM Motori
url=http://www.vmmotori.it/en/01/01/index.jsp]

There are plans for 2009, to start assembly of the Maxus at the GAZ Nizhny Novgorod plant in Russia with 50,000 as an initial volume. (http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/05-11-07_4) [cite web
title=Russia: GAZ to launch LDV brand with Maxus van; Russian built Maxus is planned for 2009 with a volume of 50,000 units (http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/05-11-07_4)
date=2007-08-13
publisher=AutomotiveWorld
url=http://www.automotiveworld.com/WCV/content.asp?contentid=62748
|accessdate=2007-09-07]

Recently, there have been reports that the Maxus van will be exported and sold in Australia as the GAZ Maxus, following it's release in the UK.

Legacy vehicles

Up until early 2006, LDV produced the Convoy and Pilot, derived from the venerable British Leyland "Sherpa", and developed considerably throughout the 1970s–90s, and which are a common sight in the UK.

Between 1996 and 2001 LDV sold the Cub, a badge engineered Nissan Vanette.

History

LDV was formed in 1993 as "Leyland DAF Vans Limited" following a management buy-out of DAF NV's Leyland DAF van manufacturing division, following the bankruptcy of the Dutch company. Later the name was officially changed to "LDV Limited".

Prior to its merger with Leyland Trucks and DAF Trucks in 1987 it was part of the British Leyland / Rover Group empire and was latterly the Freight Rover arm of the Land Rover Group division.

In December 2005, after going into administration, LDV was bought by group Sun Capital/Sun European Partners and was subject to a financial restructuring.cite news
title=Russian company buys UK vanmaker
date=2006-07-31
publisher=BBC
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5230806.stm
accessdate=2007-09-07] What Van reported LDVs commitment to its existing customers, including an assurance from their marketing director that their production taget of 1000 vans per month would put them well above break-even point. [cite news
title=LDV reassures customers over warranty
date=2006-03-15
publisher=What Van
url=http://www.van-guard.co.uk/news/archives/00000089.php]

The Russian GAZ Group acquired LDV on 31 July 2006, and also established a new company, GAZ International, based in the UK, to focus on the automotive industry.cite web
title=GAZ International
publisher=LDV
url=http://www.ldv.com/gb/aboutgaz.asp] The BBC reported that a GAZ spokesperson said that the company had appointed former Ford of Europe executive Martin Leach and former A.T. Kearney executive Steve Young to run the business, and that it planned to expand production at LDV's Birmingham plant by adding new product lines and entering new markets in Europe and elsewhere.

ponsorship

*LDV sponsored Aston Villa Football Club from 1998 to 2000.

*LDV also sponsored the Football League Trophy till 2006

Models

*Convoy (1993-2006)
*Pilot (1993-2006)
*Cub (1996-2001)
*Maxus (2004-present)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ldv.com LDV website]
* [http://www.1000vans.com LDV used van website]
* [http://www.ldvminibus.com LDV minibus website]