MG’s first pickup truck in PH could be called the TRQ

Chinese pickup trucks are slowly gaining a fair amount of traction in our market’s lifestyle segment, especially with the likes of the BYD Shark 6 DMO and GWM Cannon. 

Obviously, other brands will want to get their foot in the door, and one of them could be MG, which may soon be introducing its first pickup truck model in our market, if documents from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are anything to go by, showing what’s called the MG TRQ.

This is where it gets interesting as there is so far no such thing as the MG TRQ in other markets where the brand is currently present. Looking at its dimensions of 5,365mm long, 1,960mm wide, and 1,857mm tall though, it matches with the MG Extender which has been rumored to arrive in our market for quite some time now, and is basically a rebadged Maxus T60 which was previously available locally.

The upcoming introduction would also be very timely given that Maxus just recently formalized its exit from the Philippine market. Previously under the distributorship of AC Motors (now ACMobility), it was assigned to market and sell SAIC-made pickup trucks, while the MG brand focused on other passenger vehicles.

Anyway, enough about that. What can we expect from the MG TRQ?

For starters, it will be powered by a 2.0-liter (1,996cc) four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, matched with a 4×2 drivetrain and mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

No output figures were provided but our research says that it could come in either single or bi-turbo (likely for a 4×4 variant) forms. The former makes 163 horsepower and 375Nm of torque, while the latter makes 218 horsepower and 480Nm. Other notable information includes 254mm of ground clearance, 16-inch wheels wrapped in 245/70 tires.

If the same as the MG Extender, we can also expect a unique and very brute front fascia with a large front grille and split headlight units, along with a similar interior to the Maxus T60.

We’ll make sure to give you more information as it comes in, but for now, do you think the MG TRQ will have what it takes to compete in the highly competitive pickup truck segment, whether for commercial or personal daily use?