6 days Ago By William Stopford
wants to be a top-three brand in Australia by the end of 2030, and it'll get there with the help of a ute. or signup to continue reading "In Australia, without a ute, you'll never get a chance to stand on the top three," said MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao. The company's chief commercial officer Giles Belcher added: "Our plan is to be top five by the end of 2027 and top three by the end of 2030.
You can't do it without a ute so, connect the dots". The executives' remarks all but confirm a ute is coming, but they suggest the launch could take place later in the decade. .
MG already sells a version of the produced by LDV – another SAIC Motor-owned brand – in markets such as Thailand, badged as the Extender. It has ruled out selling this vehicle, having previously said it's . It's unclear if the upcoming ute will be a new vehicle, or if we can expect a lightly restyled version of LDV's recently revealed ute.
LDV – or Maxus, as it's known in most markets – has a new, larger ute coming called the . This will also be available with electric power under the nameplate. Both models will launch here with LDV badges during 2025.
According to government approval documents, the Terron 9 will pack a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 164kW, while the eTerron 9 will offer the choice of 200kW single-motor rear-wheel drive and 325kW dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains. With MG being arguably SAIC Motor's most global brand, its badge has been applied to various vehicles from the Chinese giant's vast portfolio.
That includes vans, utes and people movers from LDV/Maxus, passenger cars and SUVs from Roewe and, soon, electric passenger cars and SUVs from the premium IM Motors division. This gives MG Motor Australia the opportunity to use other SAIC Motor brands to plug gaps in the local lineup. "We assess many, many parts.
Our parent company is huge, different brands, massive product range," said Mr Belcher. "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.
" A ute has the potential to give MG sales a major shot in the arm. The and were Australia's two best-selling vehicles in 2023, when they both found in excess of 60,000 buyers. They beat out the (31,202), (17,526) and (16,641).
Kia is entering the ute segment for the first time in 2025 with the , and expects to sell around 20,000 examples in its first full year on sale. There are already multiple Chinese players in the segment. GWM sold 9616 in 2023, while LDV sold 9106 T60s.
JAC is the latest entrant to the segment with its , which recently reached local showrooms, while Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our .
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