The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking the local importer of LDV light commercials to Federal Court over "misleading representations to consumers" about the durability of the T60 ute and G10 van.
The case stems from advertising and marketing between April 2019 and November 2024, which according to the ACCC claimed that the vehicles were "durable and tough, and that they were suitable for use in, near, or on, a variety of environments and off-road terrains".
The ACCC alleges the vehicles had a propensity to corrode within 5 years of manufacture and were not durable or suitable for use in those environments. It says it received more than 5000 consumer complaints about rust in the T60 and G10 between January 2018 and November 2024.
The ACCC also alleges that in advertising a 10-year anti-corrosion warranty between 23 April 2019 and 31 August 2020, LDV Australia made representations to consumers that the relevant T60 vehicle models did not have a material risk of developing rust or corrosion in the first 10 years of manufacture. The ACCC alleges that these representations were false or misleading.
The ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations, consumer redress, costs and other orders.
LDV is a division of Chinese maker SAIC, imported into Australia by Ateco Automotive.
While Ateco represents a number of brands in New Zealand, LDV is not one of them: until late-2023 LDV was distributed by Great Lake Motor Distributors (GLMD), but is now part of multinational company Inchcape.
Inchcape NZ issued the follow statement to DRIVEN Car Guide: "LDV NZ is aware of the legal proceedings initiated by the ACCC against Ateco Automotive in Australia, concerning representations made about certain LDV models. As this matter relates to the Australian market, we’re not in a position to comment. LDV NZ remains committed to supporting our customers, and anyone with concerns about their vehicle is encouraged to contact their local LDV retailer."
The Max Plus was launched in NZ with a heavily upgraded warranty of 7 years/200,000km (including roadside assist and Warrant of Fitness), up from 5 years/130,000km for previous models. In January this year, the new warranty was extended to all new LDV vehicles.