LDV duly went into administration recently – following the withdrawal of Malaysian suitors Weststar from a proposed rescue deal.

However, that isn’t likely to be the end of the story. No one wants to pay more than they have to when buying a company and by waiting until LDV went into administration, potential buyers such as Weststar stand to get a much better deal than they would have done previously.

The risk in holding out for the best possible deal, however, is that someone else might beat you to it. In Weststar’s case, the other possible party is Connaught – a company that produces a pioneering aftermarket hybrid conversion kit for vans. The system has been tested by the RAC and is said to produce fuel savings of around 20%.

Connaught’s interest in LDV seems bold but the synergies are obvious – it could sell factory-converted hybrid vans at virtually no cost over the standard vehicle. This would be a unique offering in the mainstream van market at present.

In addition, LDV had reportedly already developed an electric version of the Maxus, providing Connaught with a good basis for developing an all-electric van to compete with existing offerings from the likes of Modec and Smith Electric Vehicles.