It is a Maxus T70 rebadged, and it is only available in Thailand.
Although pickups are the most popular vehicle on American roads, trucks can also be found elsewhere. This truck might surprise you, but it has an MG badge. Did you know that MG also made a pickup truck. It is now available, but only in Thailand. Let us explain.
The British brand most well-known for its small runabouts is now part of the Chinese conglomerate SAIC Motor. Maxus is one of the many brands that fall under the SAIC umbrella. It makes a truck called T70 for China and other markets. We don’t know why that truck was badge-engineered into a MG Extender, which was released in Thailand. MG has a good reputation in this area. According to Automotive News Europe pickups account approximately half of all vehicle sales. Say hello to MG’s first truck.
It’s quite nice looking. The Extender has a powerful front clip and is available in extended cab or crew-cab formats. The Extender’s turbo diesel engine of 2.0-liter capacity produces 161 horsepower (120 Kilowatts) as well as 277 pound-feet (375 Newton-meterss) of torque. There are two-wheel-drive and four wheel-drive options. Buyers can also choose from either manual or automatic shifting with either a pair six-speed gearbox. The Extender has a 10-inch touchscreen inside, except for the most basic model. Leather trim is available on higher-end models.
It remains to be seen if the MG-branded model will reach other markets than Thailand. Although the truck was built in Thailand at MG’s plant, the pickup could be used in other parts of the world, given its European roots. The Extender’s initial price of 549,000 Thai baht would translate to roughly $17,900. This is a very attractive figure for a small mid-sized 2WD pickup.