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LDV Limited
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LDV Limited is a British van manufacturer, based in the Drews lane area of Wolseley, Birmingham, England. LDV employs around 2,000 at its Birmingham site, producing 15,000-20,000 vehicles annually.
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 divsion.
In December 2005 it was subject to a financial restructuring with ownership divided between EAC (European Acquisition Capital Limited) and Sun European Partners.
In June 2006 it was announced that LDV was in talks with the Russian automotive group GAZ about a possible sale.
On 31 July 2006, BBC news reported that LDV had been sold to GAZ for an undisclosed sum. 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.
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. In this market the LDV light vans benefitted from the demise of the Dodge 50 Series. Those 3.5 - 7.5 ton vehicles commonly had built-in compressors and generators to assist with roadworks, and although the LDV models were lighter and were not fitted with these, they met the requirement of being British, and have proved perfectly capable of towing such equipment; a configuration which actually offers greater flexibility and has become the norm.
The Convoy and Pilot (based on the venerable British Leyland Sherpa, and developed considerably throughout the 1970s-90s) are a common sight in the UK. Production of these ceased, after a very long run, in early 2006.
A brand new range of vans was introduced in 2005: the Maxus, which 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.
Models
External links
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