When we understand the pickup truck market in Australia, Thailand and other places, we will find that in Australia and other markets, there are some unclear but conventional rules for the classification of pickup trucks, such as what kind of pickup is "Ute" and what kind of pickup is "Pickup Truck" , they are significantly different.

The origin of the Ute pickup

Where did the first Ute come from? It is said that in 1933, a farmer's wife named Gippsland wrote to Ford Australia, hoping that it would make a car that would be able to go to church on Sunday and sell pigs to the market on Monday. So, a model called the 40-A Light Delivery has officially appeared on the Australian market, a two-door wagon with a rear bucket. Since then, Ute has been the name for this business-friendly IKEA model.

Once -- Ute only represented a specific passenger pickup

Due to the vague definition of Ute in the 1930s, the definition of Ute in the Australian market still remained in the impression of the 1930s, that is, "a two-door model with a cargo box based on a passenger car chassis".

Before 2017, only pickups based on passenger cars could be called Ute, while the tool-use models still used the term "Pickup Truck". The most typical examples were Holden's Commodore Ute and Ford's Falcon. Models are like the Ute of the 1930s, with a very typical carry-on sedans and a cargo box.

Now -- Ute represents a pickup with versatile properties

This is also the case. After the two real sedan trucks, Ute, were discontinued, there was a fierce debate in Australian society over whether the pickup was called "Ute" or "Pickup Truck". Some people think that since this type of model is discontinued, the term Ute should be abolished, and some people think that the non-load-carrying body pickups they drive also belong to Ute.

The reason is that the sedan-car products represented by Ute have deeply influenced Australians. It is the best interpretation of Ute to make this type of vehicle with strong multi-function attributes, which can be used as a sedan and can also undertake some functions of pulling goods. Even though these mainstream products like Hilux in the Australian market are very different from the original sedan, they are similar to the sedan in functions and usage scenarios, and they are still called Ute.

Conclusion

To put it simply, the current "Ute" represents a pickup truck with multi-function attributes, and "Pickup Truck" represents a model with pure tool use, two-wheel drive, and a flat-bottomed cargo box.

Even most of the media in Australia now count pickup truck sales and distinguish between "Ute" and "Pickup Truck", and some separate the sales of two-wheel-drive pickups and four-wheel-drive pickups, but the purpose is the same. Better distinguish the different needs of users in the market. And some pickup truck manufacturers directly put their four-wheel-drive pickups on the page like SUVs, while two-wheel-drive pickups are ruthlessly classified as trucks.

If you are looking for the right pickup truck to meet your various needs, please contact us!

Read More:

Top 10 China Truck Manufacturers 2022

Top 10 China Pickup Brands 2021 ( Sales List )