2025 LDV GST next-gen electric ute here sooner than expected - what could be Australia's first electric 4x4 ute to arrive potentially before the end of 2024

Speaking to CarsGuide at the launch of its eDeliver7 electric van, LDV's Managing Director Dinesh Chinnappa said the brand's next-gen electric ute could be here before year's end.

"We expect to be posting production orders for the electric version of the GST before this year is finished, whether we launch this year or next year is yet to be determined," he said.

"We've launched late in the year before and on analysis it might not be the best decision [...] but we expect to be ordering the car later this year."

Read More About LDV

It's coming! 2024 BYD electric and hybrid ute readying its Aussie launch to take on Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux Diesel or electric ute? Why LDV is doing things 'backwards' - introducing electric cars ahead of petrol and diesel vans and utes Forget the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T, the LDV GST is set to be the first all-electric 4x4 ute in Australia

GST is the code-name for the next-gen upcoming ute which was revealed in concept form in Shanghai last year. The concept version was a quad-motor powertrain providing up to 745kW with a 1000km driving range. Expect a different name when the production version is revealed imminently.

Its predecessor, the eT60 which arrived in Australia to lukewarm reviews was 2WD only and had a driving range of just 330km.

But Chinappa said the brand didn't regret bringing the eT60 to market, as it says the ute laid the foundation for both the eDeliver7 van and the incoming next-generation electric ute.

If it follows the concept’s design, also expect a completely fresh interior for the new ute, with a dash-spanning set of screens and a new design language.

"The eT60 was required before the GST" he explained. "You can't just turn up on Monday with a new electric product and no prelude to that. We needed to learn what it takes to sell an electric commercial vehicle - dealers needed to learn how to sell them - and companies needed to learn how to deploy them on site"

According to filings with the Chinese patent office, the new ute will be 5680mm long, 1809mm high, and 1900mm wide, making it larger than a Ford Ranger, for example.

It is also set to debut a new electric-first ute platform for the brand which integrates the battery into its design (dubbed CTC for cell-to-chassis), meaning no separate housing for the battery components, the battery housing and chassis are a single piece. This is said to save weight and reduce complexity when assembling electric vehicles.

It is also set to debut a new electric-first ute platform for the brand which integrates the battery into its design (dubbed CTC for cell-to-chassis).

If it follows the concept's design, also expect a completely fresh interior for the new ute, with a dash-spanning set of screens and a new design language.

While Chinnappa didn't say exactly what local input the Australian market would have on the development of the GST, he did say "There is a constant feedback loop between us and them. Before the launch of the eDeliver7 we had 13 Chinese engineers in the country and their primary task was to get the van properly calibrated for Australia."

While he noted this was primarily to do with ironing out issues with the active safety system, he said co-development for components like battery cooling technology and suspension would "extend as much as we can make it."

We would be surprised if we didn't see the production version of this new ute, or at least learn more about it at the Beijing motor show in late April. LDV might be the first with a 4x4 electric ute to the space if it can stick to its timeline, but it might face competition from BYD with its plug-in hybrid rival, also said to be launching before the end of this year.

LDV is the export name for Maxus, owned by the same SAIC parent company as MG. If the preview information is anything to go by, expect a similar jump in quality for the brand as we saw with the MG4 which debuted a new chassis, software and technology for MG.