The minivan segment that was once popular in North America is now only a shadow of its former glory, but there are certain areas of the world where boxy people carriers are still in high demand. Australia is one of these places and the local market is getting a new electric multi-purpose vehicle, which goes by a somewhat foreign name. Dear friends, meet LDV Mifa 9.
Before we get into the details, let’s first discuss the origin of this vehicle. It was actually manufactured by Maxus, a Chinse brand owned by SAIC which was the ideological successor to the Maxus LDV model from the now defunct British commercial vehicle manufacturer LDV. The brand is sold in the Land Down Under under the LDV name and the new Mifa 9 is closely related to the combustion-powered Maxus G90 for the Chinese market and the LDV Mifa equivalent for Australia.
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Nevertheless, the Mifa 9 is a large, luxury electric minivan equipped with a 90 kWh battery pack provided by CATL. According to official information released by the manufacturer, the battery is enough to cover a distance of up to 273 miles (440 kilometers) on a single charge. Charging at home is possible up to 11 kW, while at a DC fast charging station, it takes around 35 minutes to recharge from 30 to 80 percent SOC.
Power comes from an electric motor mounted on the front wheel, which produces 241 horsepower (180 kilowatts) and 258 pound-feet (350 Newton-meters). As a side note, the combustion power LDV Mifa has a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine under the hood, developing 214 hp (160 kW) and 266 lb-ft (360 Nm) of torque. The four-cylinder mill is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Inside the spacious cabin, the focus is on luxury. Three trim levels are available – Mode, Executive and Luxe – and all come with three rows of seats. However, if you choose the top variant, the second row features a captain’s seat with heating, cooling and massage functions. Elsewhere in the lineup, standard and optional extras include three-zone climate control, seven USB ports, a power sliding rear door, and a premium audio system.
Now available to order, the Mifa 9 electric minivan starts at $106,000 AUD in Australia or about $70,010 USD at current exchange rates. The flagship Luxe model starts at $131,000 AUD ($86,522 USD). Maxus, the company that manufactures the MPV EV, also wants to start selling the model in Europe, but nothing is official yet.
