Five new dual cab ute models on the way from China
Chinese car makers are stepping up their assault on the lucrative dual cab ute segment.
Here’s a roundup of the new models.
LDV eTerron 9 and Terron 9
Due mid-year and likely to be the first of the brace of new Chinese players seeking to disrupt the ute segment is the LDV eTerron 9 electric ute and LDV Terron 9 diesel ute.
Prototypes of both models have already been sighted undergoing local validation testing ahead of local showroom arrivals by mid-2025.
The eTerron and Terron 9 will join LDV’s established T60 ute series, broadening the company’s offering across the ute segment. The new utes are physically larger than their T60 stablemate in most key dimensions, with an overall length of 5500mm (+105mm), width of 1997mm (+97mm), and riding on a 3300mm (+125mm).
The Terron 9 will be powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel boasting outputs of 163kW and driving through an eight-speed automatic. It will be available in either 4x2 or 4x4 configurations with a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.
Meanwhile, the LDV eTerron 9 electric ute will build on the brand’s established presence in the electric ute segment. The LDV T60 was Australia’s first factory built fully electric ute when released in 2022 but achieved only modest sales due to its high $92,990 (MRLP) price, limited 330km (WLTP) range, underwhelming performance and limited 1,000kg braked towing capacity.
The LDV eTerron 9 is expected to address these issues, with the dual motor 4x4 variant boasting 325kW outputs, range of 430km (WLTP) and a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg.
The e-Terron will also be available in a more affordable single-motor variant with reduced 200kW that will presumably offer greater range, although details on the new model’s full specifications have not yet been released.
MG U9
Already well established as a key player in several other vehicle segments and Australia’s best-selling Chinese automotive brand in 2024, MG is now lining up to have a crack at the ute category with its big, bold and bluff-fronted U9.
Featuring a substantial chrome grille that wouldn’t be out of place on a Ford F-150, along with angular styling, the U9 will be powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine developing a claimed 164kW and driving through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Is that sounds uncannily like the LDV eTerron 9 that’s because both the new Chinese competitors are sharing platform underpinnings, wrapped in distinctive styling that provides suitable differentiation.
No torque figure has been supplied but 164kW puts the U9 ahead of both the Ford Ranger’s bi-turbo diesel four-cylinder (154kW/500Nm) and the Toyota HiLux’s 2.8-litre turbodiesel (150kW/500Nm).
First revealed at the Melbourne Motor show in April, the MG U9 is due on sale sometime in the second half of this year.
Deepal E07
One of the more unusually styled of the new Chinese ute players is the Deepal E07 multi-truck, a genre busting shape-shifting electric vehicle (EV) that converts from five-seat SUV to dual cab ute at the press of a button, and which is due in the third quarter.
The key to the E07’s versatility is its transformable body, which features a retractable dome roof and flat folding tailgate that allows the vehicle to go from SUV to ute mode in a matter of seconds.
Pricing starts at $64,9000 (MRLP) for the entry-level E07 RWD single-motor variant with outputs of 252kW/365Nm and claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds.
Stepping up to the $73,900 (MRLP) AWD dual-motor variant brings more muscular outputs of 440kW/645Nm, shaving a full 3.0-seconds off the 0-100km/h acceleration time.
Both E07 variants are powered by an 89.98kWh Ternary Lithium (NMC) battery, which delivers up to 642km of range on the more lenient NEDC cycle, while the AWD offers up to 626km (NEDC).
Converting that figure to the more achievable WLTP figure would see approximate range of 546km and 532km respectively.
The E07 features 800V electrical architecture that supports ultra-fast DC charging of up to 240kW, enabling approximately 350km of range to be added in 15 minutes on a suitably high-output DC charger.
Foton Tunland V7 and V9
Also due in the third quarter are two new utes from Foton, the V7 and V9, both of which were revealed at the Melbourne Motor Show in April.
The utes are built on the same ladder-frame underpinnings and have an identical drivetrain, but feature distinctively different styling that emulates the Ford F-150 in the case of the V70, and the RAM 1500 in the case of the V9.
Unlike those six- and eight-cylinder US full-size pickups, however, the Foton ute twins are powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that develops 120kW/450Nm and drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The engine is complemented by a 48-volt mid hybrid system like that used by Toyota on some HiLux models to improve fuel consumption.
Aside from styling, another key differentiator between the V7 and V9 is the former features a load-oriented live-axle leaf spring suspension and comes in both 4x2 and 4x4 guises, whereas the V9 is full-time 4x4 only, boasts a live rear axle with coil springs and is slightly larger dimensionally, almost the size of an F-150.
Foton is already established in Australia as a distributor of light- and medium-duty trucks, but the launch of the V7 and V9 will mark the brand’s return to the passenger vehicle segment, after an unsuccessful earlier stint here between 2012 and 2017 with the Tunland ute.
The brand is distributed in Australia by leading global automotive distributor Inchcape, a well-established presence here that also imports and distributes Subaru, Peugeot and Chinese EV brand Deepal.
JAC Hunter PHEV
Not likely to make landfall this year but due in early 2026 is the JAC Hunter plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Dual-Cab 4X4 Ute, based on the recently launched diesel-powered JAC T9.
Designed to go head-to-head with the BYD Shark and Ford Ranger PHEV, the JAC Hunter combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with front and rear electric motors to deliver a claimed 385kW/1000Nm.
JAC’s Australian importer LTS Auto says it is targeting an electric-only driving range of at least 100km from the Hunter’s lithium-iron phosphate battery pack, which is enough to cover most daily commutes without using any fuel.
The JAC Hunter also features a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) system that allows owners to power tools, appliances, and even provide emergency backup power from the vehicle's battery when required.
No details of payload, or towing capacity have yet been provided but JAC is promising competitive capabilities in these crucial areas.
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