KGM Musso Ev 2026 News

KGM Australia has admitted it falsely marketed the airbag count of its Musso EV ute.As identified by local crash safety authority ANCAP, KGM claimed the Musso EV had a total of eight airbags, but in reality it only has six in Australia.The Australian-specification version of this electric dual-cab ute misses out on a centre airbag and a driver-knee airbag. Both feature in the South Korean-specification version.“KGM Australia has identified an error in published product information relating to the MY26 Musso EV,” said a KGM Australia spokesperson.“Some materials incorrectly described the vehicle as being equipped with eight airbags, including a driver SRS knee airbag and front seat centre airbag.“The correct Australian specification is six airbags. The vehicle has always been manufactured in this six-airbag configuration.”“Once the discrepancy was confirmed, KGM Australia took immediate steps to update affected marketing and specification materials, so they accurately reflect the specification of Australian-delivered vehicles,” said a KGM Australia spokesperson.“The Musso EV remains compliant with Vehicle Type Approval. KGM Australia is finalising a coordinated customer communication and redress approach and will communicate directly with affected customers.“KGM Australia takes the accuracy of information provided to customers seriously and is reviewing the circumstances that led to the error.“Customers with questions or concerns can contact KGM Australia or their authorised KGM dealer.”At this stage it’s unclear whether KGM Australia plans to change the local specification to increase the airbag count of the Musso EV from six to eight.“Nothing has been confirmed at this stage, but we will continue to review opportunities to enhance vehicle specifications and introduce ongoing product improvements,” said a KGM Australia spokesperson.This is far from the first time that ANCAP has identified differences in safety specifications from market to market.Most recently, early versions of the current-generation Suzuki Swift were found to have different front-end reinforcement to the European-specification version. It received a one-star ANCAP safety rating.However, Australian-specification Swift models built from August 2025 onwards have aligned specifications with the European-specification model. This saw the ANCAP safety rating change to three stars.The KGM Musso EV is the South Korean carmaker’s first electric ute. It launched locally in late 2025.Unlike the body-on-frame Musso diesel ute, this electric version is built on a monocoque platform and shares components with the Actyon and Torres SUVs.Single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive versions of the Musso EV are offered in Australia. Pricing starts from $60,000 drive-away.There aren’t many electric utes on offer in Australia currently and its main rival is the Toyota HiLux BEV.As it currently stands the Musso EV is unrated by ANCAP.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming much more popular and mainstream in Australia, however one EV category has seemingly faltered before it even properly started.The utility, or ute for short, is an incredibly popular body type in Australia and examples have been the best-selling vehicle for over a decade now, but there have only been a handful of electric utes on offer to date Down Under.The first was the LDV eT60 which launched in late 2022 and was priced from an obscene $92,990 before on-road costs, which was more than double the amount of the standard, turbo-diesel-powered T60 dual-cab ute at the time.The eT60 also only offered 330km of WLTP-claimed range, was rear-wheel drive and had a braked towing capacity of just 1000kg.For context, the most popular utes in Australia offer all-wheel drive, as well as a braked towing capacity around 3500kg.LDV admitted the eT60 was aimed primarily at government and business fleets, with only a minimal number of early adopters expected to fork out the cash for one.Since then only two other electric utes have launched in Australia.The KGM Musso EV launched locally in 2025 and unlike many utes, including the regular turbo-diesel-powered Musso, that have a body-on-frame architecture, it has a monocoque platform which is related to the Actyon and Torres SUVs.As a result the Musso EV is much more car-like to drive, but it still offers all-wheel drive and up to 420km of WLTP-claimed range.This monocoque platform does limit the braked towing capacity to 1800kg though, however payload is up to 905kg, depending on the variant.The Korean ute is limited in its potential as a towing rig and makes it better suited for lighter-duty or lifestyle applications.The most recent addition to the electric ute stable in Australia is arguably the most important yet.Toyota has now introduced an electric version of its popular HiLux ute, dubbed the HiLux BEV.In Australia there are three versions of the HiLux BEV, the SR dual-cab chassis, SR dual-cab pick-up and SR5 dual-cab pick-up.Pricing starts at $74,990 before on-road costs and goes up to $82,990 before on-road costs. Each variant is $17,000 more expensive than the turbo-diesel-powered equivalent.While the HiLux BEV has dual electric motors offering all-wheel drive, it only has a braked towing capacity of 2000kg and up to 345km of NEDC-claimed range, depending on the variant.Similar to how LDV positioned the eT60, Toyota has said the HiLux BEV is primarily aimed at government fleets and mining and construction sectors. Only a sliver of projected sales will be from private buyers.For now that’s all the electric ute options in Australia and none offer the same amount of braked towing capacity as its turbo-diesel-powered equivalent. However, that’s soon set to change.China’s MG is launching an electric version of its U9 dual-cab ute in Australia in the second half of 2026.According to approval documents, the MG U9 EV will offer a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.Power will come from a dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up with a total system output of 325kW.The full details haven’t been confirmed yet but overseas it's offered with a 102kWh lithium-ion battery pack with up to 430km of range, according to WLTP testing.LDV had previously confirmed that it would launch the eTerron 9, which is an equivalent to the MG U9 EV, in Australia however this has now seemingly fallen off the radar.Beyond this there are no other electric utes that are locked in for an Australian launch currently.Isuzu previously noted that it plans to introduce the D-Max EV in Australia, but it still hasn’t provided any timeline for when.It’s already offered in other markets, like the UK, and offers a 3500kg braked towing capacity and 1000kg payload, but only 263km of WLTP-claimed range.Additionally it’s unlikely that the full-size American electric pick-ups like the Tesla Cybertruck, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T will ever come to Australia as demand for these kinds of vehicles is declining in the US and they would need to be re-engineered for right-hand drive applications.This may change with Ford’s upcoming mid-size ute that’s based on its new universal EV platform, as well as the forthcoming Slate small electric ute, but neither are confirmed for right-hand drive production.While all the electric ute options in Australia currently are flawed in some way or another, the sales charts show that punters are still keen on reducing their fuel bills and CO2 footprint with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) utes.The biggest winner thus far is firmly the BYD Shark 6 which is now available in three variants - Dynamic dual-cab chassis, Premium dual-cab pickup and Performance dual-cab pickup.The latter variant offers a benchmark 3500kg braked towing capacity, whereas the others offer a 2500kg braked towing capacity.Depending on the trim, the Shark 6 offers up to 100km of NEDC-claimed electric range.Likely a key reason for its sales success is how much it costs. The line-up starts at $55,990 before on-road costs and extends to $62,990 before on-road costs. This puts it roughly at the same price as mid-spec diesel versions of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.We’ll have to wait and see whether Australians embrace electric utes, however they’ll likely remain a niche offering for fleets for the time being.

Aussies love their diesel utes but with crunching emissions regulations coming into place, it’s unclear how much longer they will reign supreme.