MG Extender Debuts In Thailand As Brand’s First Pickup Truck

British brand MG continues to leverage the resources of parent company SAIC by launching its first-ever pickup truck.

After rebadging the Baojun 530 SUV and launching it in India as the MG Hector, the brand has now done the same thing with SAIC’s Maxus T70 midsize pickup truck in Thailand.

Besides replacing the badges, the only changes MG made to the T70 was to apply its corporate grille and move the steering wheel to the right-hand side to comply with Thailand’s traffic regulations.

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The Extender is available in two body configurations: extended and crew cab. Both are powered by the same engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel four rated at 162 PS (160 hp) and 375 Nm (277 lb-ft) of torque.

There are two transmission choices: a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic. Both send power to the rear wheels in base models or all four in mid- and upper-range versions. The latter also feature LED DRLs, automatic climate control, leather upholstery, a rearview camera, and driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning, hill descent control and blind spot monitoring.

Launching the Extender in Thailand makes sense because pickup trucks account for half of the country’s annual new-vehicle sales. Furthermore, it is the largest automobile manufacturing and exporting country in ASEAN region and many of the Extender’s rivals are built in Thailand, including the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton/L200, Nissan NP300 Navara, and Toyota Hilux.

MG Extender prices start from 549,000 baht (approximately $17,850) for the extended cab and from 759,000 baht ($24,680) for the crew cab.