While the Japanese and Ford dominate the pickup truck landscape in the country, a couple of Chinese automakers are making their presence felt in the competitive segment. Some honorable mentions include the BYD Shark 6 DM-O and Changan Nevo Hyunter K50 REEV.
Now, they might have a new challenger from MG soon. At least, that’s according to the recent filing published by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). Yes, the British-Chinese automaker appears to be entering the arena.
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Based on the filing seen in the LTO database, the pickup will be called the MG TRQ. If anything, the name is so new that not even a Google search could give us answers. Everything we know about it is simply based on its homologation papers. We do love a bit of mystery, so this definitely piqued our interest.
Per the file, the MG TRQ measures 5,365mm long, 1,960mm wide, and 1,857mm tall. It then rides on a lengthy 3,155mm wheelbase and has a 254mm ground clearance rating. With those measurements, we can safely rule out the MG U9 that was recently shown over in Australia as that’s a much bigger vehicle at a whopping 5,550mm long.
Our curiosity did lead us to a model that matches its dimensions. As far as we can tell, the MG TRQ might be the Philippine version of the MG Extender that’s already available in Thailand. The length and wheelbase measurements are the same as the one listed in the LTO database.
Further circumstantial evidence can be found in the engine capacity in the file. The papers say it will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine, although not much else was said after that. If this is the same one found in the Extender, we might see figures of 161hp and 375Nm.
So far, only two-wheel drive versions were filed with the LTO. It’s also possible that four-wheel drive variants might be added along the way. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for that if ever that happens.
That said, it’s interesting to see MG potentially enter the pickup market. With the segment seeing substantial price increases, the TRQ has all the potential to undercut the competition and lure in more shoppers into MG showrooms away from the Japanese and Ford.
