MG U9 hybrid ute under consideration for Australia to rival BYD Shark 6

MG Motor Australia says it's looking at a hybrid version of its U9 dual-cab ute for local showrooms to take on rivals like the BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger Hybrid and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.

The MG U9 arrived in Australia last September powered by a 160kW/520Nm 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine in a 5500mm-long body, making it longer than all of its key rivals, with the Shark 6 the closest at 5457mm.

MG has since confirmed plans to launch the U9 EV (electric vehicle) – a rival to the recently launched Toyota HiLux BEV – with government approval filings confirming a 325kW dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

While EVs reached a record 23.3 per cent market share in June 2026, hybrids – including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and conventional hybrids – accounted for a combined 26.2 per cent.

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Leading the charge, the BYD Shark 6 – which uses a PHEV powertrain featuring a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and dual electric motors – more than doubled its sales from 1244 in May to 3398 in June.

The result made the Shark 6 Australia's best-selling PHEV, sixth-best-selling vehicle overall and the nation's third most popular ute behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

When asked by CarExpert whether MG may add a hybrid version of the U9, marketing lead Dimitri Andreatidis remained coy but hinted the automaker is exploring the opportunity.

“We can’t talk about what the evolution for U9 [will be], but absolutely, it [hybrid] plays a key role for in within the category, and our competitors, all the competitors are doing very well for it, and they deserve this, the success they're having," he said.

The U9 shares its underpinnings and powertrains – in both diesel and EV form – with the LDV Terron 9 and eTerron 9, with both the MG and LDV brands owned by SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation).

The Terron 9 was revealed in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form at the Beijing motor show in April 2026. It's scheduled to enter production in 2027 using the same platform as its diesel and electric siblings, but hasn't yet been confirmed for Australia.

When CarExpert suggested the U9 would have the two bookends of the market covered – diesel and EV – but miss out on the current hybrid sweet spot, Mr Andreatidis agreed, but stopped short of confirming future plans.

“That's a fair point; we look forward to providing that update when we continue on our U9 journey," he said.

“Right now, we're focusing on our diesel, and then we've got our EV coming at the end of the year, and then at that point we can look forward to focusing on the story of the U9, the EV, and then and then who knows what the future holds.”

MG sold 122 diesel-powered U9s in June 2026, its best monthly result to date, with the U9 Black Edition recently added as a limited-run fourth model grade.

Overall, MG finished ninth among all brands in June with 5001 sales, up 6.8 per cent on June 2025 and overtaking Chery, which slipped to 10th.

The ZS SUV was MG's best-seller with 1827 deliveries, ahead of the MG 4 EV Urban (1015) and MG 3 hatchback (898).

MORE: Explore the MG U9 showroom