Van firm in £1.5bn bid

LDV would build 4X4 trucks in a 10-year deal

The van maker LDV is hoping to win a £1.5bn contract to build military trucks, which could help create hundreds of new jobs.

The Birmingham-based company is part of a consortium, which is bidding for a contract with the Ministry of Defence.

Details of the deal were announced as executives opened a £35m paint shop at the firm's plant in Washwood Heath on Thursday.

Tony Lewis, LDV's executive director of sales and marketing, said he was hopeful the bid will be successful.

The paint shop will modernise production

"We're in competition with other manufacturers. It's a tendering process by the government," he said.

"But with the partnership we've created with an existing truck manufacturer in the United States, we believe we've got a very good chance of securing the business and providing the armed services with a great truck."

A successful deal would mark a remarkable turn around over the last decade for the firm, which was saved from closure by a management buy-out in 1993.