Electric ute from MG under consideration for NZ market

The local arm of Chinese carmaker MG has confirmed that the brand is considering adding the fully electric version of its pure plug-in ute — the U9 — into the country.

In a brief statement to CarExpert NZ, an MG New Zealand representative confirmed the update. 

“The new U9 EV Ute is under consideration for our market, but we don't have anything to announce at the moment,” they said.

The brief update comes off the back of reports from Australia indicating that the MG U9 EV was recently added to the ROVER compliance database across the ditch. This is a key regulatory step all cars have to meet before going on sale in Australia.

News linking the U9 EV to both the Australian and New Zealand market comes at a potentially handy time for MG, as diesel ute owners in both countries battle with rapidly rising prices. 

There have been reports of diesel prices outstripping petrol prices at certain fuelling sites this week, with numerous videos of ute and SUV owners paying in excess of $200 to fill up their vehicles.

As with its pure diesel sibling, the MG U9 EV shares its platform, powertrain, and the majority of its interior and exterior components with an LDV equivalent — the eTerron 9. 

LDV confirmed to local media that the e Terron 9 was being evaluated for New Zealand in mid-2025, but it has yet to announce any further news. LDV was the first manufacturer to bring a pure electric ute into the country several years ago in the form of the eT60. 

According to its ROVER compliance documentation, the U9 EV that has been given the green light for Australia will be offered with dual electric motors producing a combined 325kW of power, and will be rated to tow up to 3500kg braked. 

The documents do not cover battery size or range, but the U9 EV will likely be offered with the same 102kWh battery pack as its LDV relation, which has a WLTP-rated range of 430km to a charge.