MG wants to enter Australia’s crowded ute market, but it says it’s waiting for the right product. “There’s room for one more, as long as it’s ours and it’s the right one,” MG Motor Australia chief commercial officer Giles Belcher told media when asked whether the Australian ute market was already too saturated. “We assess the market opportunities all the time.
“Obviously the dual-cab market is a sizeable chunk of the Australian market. “So if the right product becomes available – [it’s] not available right now – if it does become available, we’ll assess the capability of that car based on the market here. “If the right one comes along, there’s nothing on the table at the moment, but if one does then we’ll certainly look at it.
“This car has been coming for a long time, so we want to make sure it’s right.” What won’t come here, MG insists, is the ute it already sells in Thailand. It’s called the Extender, and it’s little more than a rebadged LDV T60 .
It’s offered both in extended- and dual-cab body styles, powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 119kW of power and 375Nm of torque. MG Thailand offers it with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions and rear- or four-wheel drive.
“The one that currently exists is not to be evaluated for our market,” said senior product and strategy manager Akshat Ahuja. “The priority for us is to not just launch any product or ute, but we w.