MG backs U9 EV electric ute to find buyers in a near-empty segment

MG launches the U9 EV as electric ute sales stall

MG Australia has launched its U9 EV dual-cab in a market where battery-powered utes have so far failed to gain traction. CarExpert reported that just over 300 KGM Musso EVs have been delivered since the model's local launch late last year, and that Toyota recorded roughly 300 HiLux BEV sales between May and early July, of which fewer than 10 went to private buyers — a tiny share of the 157,531 ute deliveries CarExpert says Australia recorded from January to September this year, itself 17 per cent of the national new-vehicle market, with diesel and plug-in hybrid power dominating. Against that backdrop, MG is positioning the U9 EV as a more lifestyle-focused option in a very small pool of electric dual-cabs. ¹

Specifications and pricing

Priced from $78,990 before on-road costs, the U9 EV combines dual electric motors producing 325kW and 700Nm with a 102.2kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, delivering a claimed 430km of WLTP range, as detailed by CarExpert. DC charging is capped at 115kW, with a 20 to 80 per cent charge taking a claimed 42 minutes on a suitable fast charger. ¹

MG claims a 3500kg braked towing capacity for the U9 EV, which CarExpert notes matches the top-selling diesel Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, and exceeds the Toyota HiLux BEV (2000kg) and the KGM Musso EV (1800–2300kg). CarExpert also reports the U9 EV's 430km WLTP range is higher than the HiLux BEV's 245km and the Musso EV's 380–420km. ¹³

MG's buyer-demand argument

MG insists demand exists despite the segment's slow start. "It's a vehicle that customers here in Australia have been yearning for," MG Australia marketing director Dimitri Andreatidis told CarExpert, adding that the company's research suggests customers are excited. MG product planning manager Kevin Kou told CarExpert the U9 EV had been displayed at the Melbourne motor show and at Everything Electric, where customers specifically asked for an EV ute from a range of backgrounds. ¹

This continues a position MG has held since mid-2026, when Andreatidis dismissed the idea the Australian ute market had peaked. CarExpert reported he argued the U9 EV would "open up that category to a cohort of customers" who wanted an EV rather than a diesel or plug-in hybrid, in response to former Toyota Australia sales and marketing vice president Sean Hanley's claim that the ute market had reached its peak. ²

MG also frames running costs as a selling point. "Diesel and petrol prices are a bit of a talking point, and I think people are feeling that pressure," Kou told CarExpert, pointing to home charging and, in his words, charging "under the sunshine for free". ¹

A divided market: rivals step back

Not every manufacturer shares MG's read on demand. CarExpert reported Isuzu has cancelled plans to launch the D-Max EV in Australia, with Isuzu Ute Australia executive Rod Caldwell saying: "Customers don't want it." Caldwell cited a competitor selling "about 30 a month" of its battery-electric ute, a reference to the recently launched HiLux BEV, and predicted Isuzu would achieve only a third of that. The LDV eTerron 9 — the U9 EV's twin under LDV branding — has also failed to appear locally despite previously being confirmed for release in early 2025, according to CarExpert. ¹

Towing range and charging: the open questions

Towing is the key vulnerability for electric utes, and MG has been pressed on it. Kevin Kou told CarExpert that MG towed a 2.8-tonne caravan from Sydney to Gerringong on the South Coast, but when asked about range under load he instead pointed to government-backed expansion of the charging network, saying customers "should be planning out their journey". Andreatidis told CarExpert the U9 EV has "amazing range, 430 kilometres" and "doesn't compromise in any way, shape or form". ³

CarExpert's own analysis, clearly labelled as such, notes that MG has not published a towing range figure. It estimates a diesel Ranger towing a heavy caravan could cover around 400–500km, while the U9 EV could theoretically be limited to approximately 200km — a modelling-based figure, not a tested or manufacturer-published one. CarExpert also observes that electric utes fall well short of many diesel and plug-in hybrid rivals that can exceed 800km between stops, and that charging takes far longer than refuelling. ³

MG's optimism partly rests on charging infrastructure growth. CarExpert cites the Electric Vehicle Council's 2026 State of EVs report, released in September 2026, which recorded 4268 public AC and DC charging locations by June 2026, up 235 per cent year on year — though that remains well below the roughly 8000 service stations the ACCC says existed in 2026. ³

Where the U9 EV sits

The U9 EV arrives as the only electric ute rated to tow 3.5 tonnes with a braked trailer, according to CarExpert, giving MG a capability argument its two local electric rivals cannot match. Whether that translates into volume remains unproven: MG's claims about customer demand are its own research and observations, the small existing sales base of the HiLux BEV and Musso EV is documented by CarExpert's sales reporting, and Isuzu's withdrawal reflects the opposite reading of the same market. What the actual take-up of the U9 EV will be is not yet evidenced in either direction. ¹³²