MG is Looking to Carve a Slice of the Ute Pie

Sino-Brit carmaker MG is clearly working on a new ute, and the upcoming dual-cab variant could be aiming down under.

CarNewsChina featured a photo of the MG P9 recently. Evidently it is a rebadged version of the Maxus Star X. And that is heading to Australia where it will be sold as the LDV Terron 9.

MG Motor has wanted to enter the ute sector for some time, part of its plans to become a best-selling brand.

LDV and MG are both part of SAIC Motor but operate separately either side of the Tasman. 

MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao told CarExpert recently “In Australia, without a ute, you’ll never get a chance to stand on the top three.” 

The company aims to be amongst the top five new car brands in 2027 and part of the top three by the end of the decade. 

MG Australia doesn’t take the rebadged LDV T60, which the company sells in Thailand.

Head of Commercial for MG, Giles Belcher commented “We assess everything on its own merits and if we think it suits the Australian market, then we will do our best to get that product.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a particular segment we rule out. It’s just a matter of what products our parent company is developing or has, and then we’ll assess that product for Australia on its own merits.”

The Terron 9 will use a 2.5-litre IL4 turbodiesel producing 164kW of power and 520Nm. It runs an eight-speed gearbox. Rear- or all-wheel drive are on offer.

Critical dimensions are 5500mm for length, 1997mm for width and 1860mm for height. The  wheelbase is 3300mm, and ground clearance is 220mm.

An electric variant is also available, the eTerron 9. Two variants have been approved for sale in Australia. One has a 200kW single-motor with rear-wheel drive. The other is a 325kW dual-motor four-wheel drive version. Power for each resides in a 102kWh LFP battery pack. The dual-motor variant has a claimed range of up to 430km WLTP.

In Australia, utes account for almost 19 per cent of all new vehicle sales.

We have asked MG Motors New Zealand whether it has any plans to offer a ute here and will report back when we hear.