MG revealed its first ever ute – the U9 – in Melbourne just over one week ago, and now the Chinese carmaker isn’t wasting any time in preparing the vital recent model for its local release later this yr.
The U9 is already undergoing local road testing, with the planned regime set to incorporate far-flung locations reminiscent of Broome, Penguin, Albany, and Cooktown.
MG Motor Australia says it’s conducting the testing “to make sure the MG U9 meets the unique demands of Australian roads – whether in the town, the bush, or on the worksite”. This system is being led by MG’s in-house engineering team.
A key a part of its plan to turn out to be a top-three auto brand in Australia by the tip of this decade, the U9 shall be MG’s dawn industrial vehicle Down Under when it debuts within the fourth quarter of 2025, as a rival to among the nation’s hottest models including the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
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It’ll also function an alternative choice to the upcoming LDV Terron 9, which shares the identical underpinnings because the MG U9 and China’s Maxus Star X.
LDV began local testing of the Terron 9 last yr, specializing in traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assist and other electronic driver aid systems in a bid to raised calibrate the ute for Australian road conditions.
The Terron 9 will arrive sooner than its MG twin under the skin, across the middle of this yr.
Each utes shall be powered by a high-output 164kW 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, and they’re going to match the class-leaders with a 3500kg towing capability.
Other confirmed features for the local market U9 include a massaging driver’s seat, “flexible seat functionality to maximise storage and luxury”, and a JBL sound system.
Pricing and full specifications shall be revealed closer to launch.
The MG U9 shall be covered by the brand’s benchmark 10-year/250,000km warranty (seven-year/160,000km for industrial buyers).
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au