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Chinese Toyota Land Cruiser fighter locked out of Australia: MG says no to Prado-rivalling Gloster

MG is won't be venturing into Gloster territory

MG Australia won't be focusing on expanding its range to commercial or ladder-frame SUV territory, locking out both the Extender dual-cab and Gloster SUV from our market

That's the word from MG Australia's director of marketing and product development, Danny Lenartic, who told CarsGuide that his brand would continue to focus on passenger cars and had no interest in "logo-slapping" vehicles.

Based on the LDV D90, the Gloster rides on a ladder-frame chassis that promises to deliver genuine off-road cred. But the big story is under the bonnet, where MG has chosen to fit the most powerful diesel engine at its disposal - one that promises to out-punch its more well-known rivals.

The Gloster will launch internationally with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel good for 162kW and 480Nm - making it more powerful than both the Toyota Fortuner and the Toyota LandCruiser Prado. That engine will pair with an eight-speed automatic that sends power to all four wheels, and the Gloster is also equipped with Terrain Selection off-road drive modes, too.

But given the Gloster is based on an LDV product, the MG brand has ruled it our for a local debut, saying it wants to preserve the brand's "DNA" in Australia.

"We will evaluate all vehicles as we see a need, but they will come under an MG design language. Personally, I'm not interesting in logo-slapping from another design," Lenartic says.

"We've come such a long way as a brand in such a short space of time, I really want to keep our DNA moving forward."

The news comes days after MG in India promised the Gloster would be equipped to battle cars like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

“As far as we see it, we feel that the Gloster will have he capability, strength and size to compete with models such as the LandCruiser Prado and Jeep Grand Cherokee," said Rajeev Chaba, managing director of MG Motors India.

MG Australia's viewpoint also extends to the Extender dual-cab ute, itself based on the LDV T60.

"LDV is our commercial partner, and we're the passenger arm. The fact that the LDV T60 exists in Australia means there is no plan to be brining out a commercial vehicle," Lenartic says.