'They've been pleading for one': 325kW electric 4x4 ute can tow 3500kg but will 2025 LDV eTerron 9 and diesel Terron 9 sibling manage to steal fleet sales from Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6?

LDV has confirmed local testing is underway for electric and diesel versions of the brand-new Terron 9 ute ahead of their arrival in Australian showrooms mid next year.

Going on sale alongside the brand’s current T60 ute, two prototype Terron 9 models are currently in the hands of engineers who are evaluating the ute’s driver safety systems on Australian roads.

The eTerron 9, as the electric variant will be known, was revealed for the first time in Australia last month at the Mobility Live exhibition in Melbourne as a successor to the eT60, Australia’s first electric dual-cab ute that received a lukewarm reception.

Importer Ateco has yet to confirm what size battery pack will power it, but in China the eTerron 9 features a 102kWh battery — much larger than the EeT60's 88kWh pack.

In fact, everything is larger on the eTerron 9.

LDV has confirmed it will run a dual-motor four-wheel drive set up, good for 430km of WLTP-rated range and 325kW. That trumps the eT60 by 100km and 205kW.

At 5500mm long, 1997mm wide, 1860mm tall and with a wheelbase of 3300mm, the eTerron 9 is bigger in every direction than the eT60, particularly in length and wheelbase, which are stretched 105mm and 125mm, respectively.

With a 3500kg towing capacity, LDV said it will be targeting fleet sales and mining companies as they try to decarbonise their vehicle fleets.

“Certain segments of the ute market are not only ready for an electric ute, they’ve been pleading for one. Particularly fleets and mining companies who want a factory-built, turn-key solution straight off the showroom floor, rather than a diesel vehicle that has been converted to electric power,” said LDV Australia’s General Manager, Dinesh Chinnappa.

LDV may face stiff competition from the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6, with BYD targeting a similar market. Despite its 2500kg towing capacity, the Shark 6 is priced competitively at $57,900 before on-road costs.

LDV hasn't confirmed the eTerron 9’s price yet. Normally, you'd expect an increase on the predecessor, but the eT60's $92,990 (before on-road costs) starting price was widely panned at launch.

In any case, LDV will be aiming for more sales than the eT60, which has sold approximately 100 units since going on sale in late 2022.

Pricing and specifications are also still up in the air for the diesel variant, known simply as the Terron 9, though homologation filings from earlier this month give some clues.

The top-spec version looks set to sport an in-line four-cylinder 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine which will be good for 163kW.

Power across the range will be transferred through an eight-speed automatic transmission, while two GVM figures of 3.3 tonnes and 3.5 tonnes suggest there will be the choice of 4x2 and 4x4 variants, to suit heavy fleet work as well as private buyers.

Payloads for both the electric and diesel guise look to range from an impressive 979kg and 1329kg, though these figures haven’t been publicly confirmed yet.

Design of the Terron 9 is reasonably different to its EV sibling, despite their shared boxy silhouette and strong use of horizontal lines.

The differences are most prominent at the front end, where the Terron 9 forfeits the eTerron's imposing LED light bar in favour of an American pick up-style front grille.

As such, it carries its own uniquely designed LED light clusters and day-time running light housing, while homologation images have shown it again scraps the eTerron's rear LED light bar and unique 'L-D-V' branding on the tailgate instead.

Once again price is unclear, but we expect the diesel version to rival the likes of the GWM Cannon Alpha in price given its similar size, which starts at $51,990 before on-road costs.