MG’s first electric ute has made its global debut at the Melbourne motor show.
The MG U9 EV is a lightly restyled version of the LDV/Maxus eTerron 9 that’s already on sale in other markets, but for which local launch timing remains unconfirmed.
While MG has shown off the U9 EV in Melbourne, it hasn’t confirmed any details – including launch timing – for the model.
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It’s set to be one of the next electric utes to be offered in Australia, after the LDV eT60 and KGM Musso EV, with the Toyota HiLux BEV locked in for a launch during the second quarter (April to June) of this year.
The U9 Black Edition, based on the diesel-powered U9, also made its debut in Melbourne.
As the name suggests, it has a darker aesthetic than the chrome-laden U9 utes already offered in Australia. That includes a dark-finish grille.
Launch timing has yet to be confirmed for the Black Edition, as well as pricing. The regular U9 lineup is currently priced between $52,990 and $60,990 drive-away.
The U9 EV is likely to attract a significant premium over these diesel variants.
It’s expected to use a 102kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with 430km of WLTP range, like its LDV twin offered overseas.
Per a government approval filing from March, the U9 EV features a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, with the motors producing 200kW of power and 125kW of power respectively, for a total system power output of 325kW.
Braked towing capacity is listed at 3500kg, with a payload of 685kg, while the U9 EV is listed as offering a choice of 18-, 19-, or 20-inch wheels.
The U9 EV ditches the flashy, intricate grille of the diesel-powered ute, for a largely closed-off front-end apart from some small air intakes.
There’s a full-width light bar connecting the C-shaped daytime running lights within the headlight clusters and a different front bumper overall.
Down back, the tail-light clusters are virtually identical, but the EV features a full-width light bar across the tailgate.
LDV was the first auto brand in Australia with an electric ute, launching the single-motor rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame eT60 here in 2023.
But this segment has proved a real ghost town, with the eT60 selling in small numbers and the eTerron 9 confirmed for a local launch that has still yet to happen.
The next electric ute to arrive in Australia, in 2025, was the unibody KGM Musso EV, which is offered with either single-motor front-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains.
In contrast, the US saw a boom of (full-size) electric pickups, though initial hype over this segment has cooled – sales of the Tesla Cybertruck slumped by almost half in 2025 and the Ford F-150 Lightning is being replaced with an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
Plug-in hybrid utes are growing in popularity at a much sharper rate in Australia than EV ones, with the BYD Shark 6 launched last year as the first such ute in Australia and being quickly followed by the Ford Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, with rivals from Chery, JAC and Nissan to follow.
So popular is the Shark 6 in particular that last year it became Australia’s best-selling PHEV, and even outsold ute stalwarts like the Mazda BT-50.