Why Ford and Toyota should be worried about these new utes

The MG U9 should serve as a warning to Australia’s leading car brands about just how serious the Chinese brand is in winning over local buyers. The company isn’t even waiting to develop its own, bespoke ute, but instead rushing to market with its own version of the LDV Terron 9.

Whether this is the right decision or a hurried one isn’t really the point, it’s the speed in which MG is acting that should have the likes of Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Kia and the rest of the biggest-selling brands watching their backs. MG has made no secret of its desire to become one of the top three selling car companies in Australia, and having a ute is seemingly a requirement for that.

“The U9 isn’t just a new model - it’s a turning point for us,” declared MG Motors Australia CEO Peter Ciao. “We’ve built our reputation on delivering unmatched value, and now we’re bringing that same promise to one of Australia’s most competitive segments. If we want to be a top three brand in this country, we need a ute that punches above its weight - and the U9 does exactly that. It’s tough, capable, and built for the way Australians drive. We know the demand is there, and we’re ready for it.”

MG revealed the ute at the recent Melbourne Motor Show, at the same time the JAC Hunter and Foton Tunland were also showcased to the Australian public for the first time. But, with respect to both of those brands, neither is as important as the U9. MG is already established itself as China’s leading car brand in Australia with only a limited array of options but has big expansion plans for 2025 and beyond.

The U9 is only part of the equation, with more SUVs, the all-electric IM Motors models and others coming, but getting the Chinese ute break the hold Ford and Toyota have on the ute market is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ for car makers. Which is why so many of these new Chinese brands are rushing new options for buyers to our market.

But it’s the strength of the MG brand and the disruptive nature of the new BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid that are making the most headway. The Shark 6 was the fourth best-selling 4×4 ute in the country in the first quarter of the year, which is driven in part by the early, pent-up demand being satisfied but is a remarkable achievement nonetheless. That puts BYD ahead of much bigger names in the ute markets, including the Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton.

What that demonstrates is that Australian’s will give these new Chinese utes a chance, as long as they meet their needs and are competitively priced. This will be music to the ears of the MG executives, especially as the U9/Terron 9 does offer something slightly different to the Ranger and HiLux, being a half-size bigger.

Whether that’s enough to make it a best-seller remains to be seen, but MG will clearly throw everything it has at wooing Australians to its new ute. And if BYD can maintain its initial interest, then the ute sales chart - and the roads of Australia - could look very different in the not-too-distant future.