Why the MG U9 could be the first electric dual cab ute Aussie buyers will take seriously

The long-awaited MG U9 electric ute could arrive at just the right moment, with MG Australia’s marketing boss saying shifting consumer sentiment and booming EV sales have prompted the brand to rethink how many it can sell.

Confirming the electric U9 ute will arrive later this year, MG Australia marketing director Dimitri Andreatidis said the company is revising its volume projections upward following an overwhelmingly positive reception at the Melbourne Motor Show.

“We’re in the process now of tuning and recalibrating our plans only because the sentiment’s changed … over the last couple of months,” Andreatidis said.

READ MORE: Record sales for Tesla: EV heavyweight outsells Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Toyota RAV4
READ MORE: MG U9 dual-cab ute debut
READ MORE: Toyota Hilux BEV pricing announced

“Where we were six or nine months ago when the plans were being refined has definitely changed.”

Electric utes have so far been a dead end in Australia.

The LDV eT60 arrived underdone and overpriced, while the KGM Musso EV – currently the only electric ute on sale – has very much been a niche product given it plays more on the lifestyle side of the ute market.

But with EVs hitting a record 19.9 per cent of the new car market last month, the electric car landscape looks markedly different – possibly even in the ute sphere.

Andreatidis acknowledged the core challenge: convincing traditional ute buyers, many of whom have flatly ruled out electrification, to reconsider.

“There are those diehard ‘I won’t consider an EV’ [buyers] who are going, ‘all right, well, my situation has changed. The world has changed. It’s something I should consider,’” he said. “And as that adoption and adaption changes, all the dynamics change as well.”

Andreatidis stopped short of claiming the U9 will convert every ute buyer – there are clearly challenges with covering big distances and towing heavy loads, two things plenty of utes do – but suggested the product itself could shift some minds.

“We have something that’s really exciting and interesting that may just tip them over and go, ‘yeah, you know what, I’m going to consider this.’”

On paper the U9 EV looks more credible than anything that’s come before it.

Dual electric motors produce a combined 325kW – 200kW at the rear, 125kW at the front – fed by a 102kWh battery pack with a WLTP range of 430km.

That’s nearly double the 240km of the upcoming Toyota HiLux BEV and comfortably ahead of the KGM Musso EV’s 380-420km.

Crucially, it matches the diesel U9’s 3500kg tow rating, a figure that has eluded every electric ute sold here so far.

Payload is rated at 685kg according to certification documents.

Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but expect it’s likely to sit at the upper end – or above – the current diesel U9 line-up, which runs to $60,990 drive-away.