Motorists turn their backs on traditional utes in droves as US ‘pick up trucks’ take over

More and more of us are turning our backs on an Australian tradition in favour of a shiny new trend. And there’s a good reason why.

Many tradies are turning to US-style pick up trucks for a crucial reason. Picture: AAP Image/Claudia Baxter

They might be divisive, but there’s no denying US-style pick up trucks are exploding in popularity in Australia.

In recent years, sales of the vehicles – like the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet’s Silverado – have been booming Down Under, with one of America’s best-selling vehicles, the Ford F-150 pick-up, on its way to Australian shores next year, followed by the expected arrival of the Toyota Tundra in late 2023 or early 2024.

The vehicles are imported as a left-hand-drive model, and then converted to right-hand-drive locally, with that relatively new conversion capability emerging as one of the major forces driving the surge.

For now, sales of traditional utes are still far higher – but that might not be the case forever, due to several crucial reasons.

Want to stream your news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer available for a limited time only >

US pick ups, like the Chevrolet Silverado, are exploding in popularity in Australia.

For NSW tradie John Merritt, who migrated to Australia from Canada several decades ago, the choice to replace his Holden Rodeo with a Ram 1500 was a no-brainer.

“I’m a builder. I bought a Ram 1500 three years ago when they first came out. I bought it because the tray is 900mm longer than my Holden Rodeo,” he said.

“That’s 900x1500 of extra carry space for tools and materials.

“I moved here from Canada 33 years ago and couldn’t believe that the trucks were so small. An increasing number of builders down our way are trading up to the bigger trucks now that they are more readily available.”

Mr Merritt told news.com.au he bought the base model for around $80,000 “because it’s a work truck and best of all, because the Ram has the 5.7L petrol engine, it actually drops cylinders when it doesn’t need all eight, so the fuel economy is excellent”.

“I get 10L/100km on the highway and 13L/100km around town, full of tools and materials,” he said.

“That’s far more efficient than my Holden Rodeo was.

“I don’t tow anything, but apparently they tow really well and for people worried about gas guzzling polluters, the big engine would work less when towing a caravan or boat, thus reducing both.”

More and more tradies are choosing the US vehicles over traditional utes. Picture: AAP Image/Claudia Baxter

James Voortman, chief executive of the Australian Automotive Dealers Association, told news.com.au it made sense that tradies were flocking to the vehicles.

“What we’re seeing with tradies is obviously the practicality of these pick ups is a strong consideration when they’re making the decision about which vehicle to buy to support their business,” he said.

“A larger tray is very important, as is the significant towing capacity and no doubt also the additional space in the interior – those are the practical things.

“These vehicles also cost a lot of money, and one thing that has helped tradies in recent years has been the ability to make use of government-provided investment incentives, such as the instant asset write off, and instant expensing measures – those have helped tradies get into these cars and it has helped them do the job they need to do in the best way possible.”

He said there was a chance the trend could potentially end up changing Aussie utes in future.

“I’m not sure whether we will see changes to design specifications of traditional Aussie utes because it’s too soon to draw that conclusion, and utes are still selling at much higher numbers than US pick up trucks. But with that said, you don’t have to go too far back in history to see when we were driving Falcon and Commodore utes, before they changed to double cabs,” he said.

Aussie utes are facing new US rivals. Picture: Dannika Bonser

“I don’t think there will be an imminent change, but who knows what the future holds.

“If there’s one thing global car manufacturers do it’s monitor customer preferences and try to respond, so if they believe there’s opportunity and demand from customers for this kind of product, they will evaluate and make a decision that works for the customer.”

Mr Voortman said Ford F-150s and Toyota Tundras, which will be available in Australia in the near future, were “incredibly popular”, and that the “big question is how many will be able to be converted (to right-hand drive) to respond to customer demand”.

“There are exciting times ahead and these are products Australians have been wanting for some time, and they are finally arriving, so it will be interesting to see how the trend continues and whether it affects the wider auto market,” he said.

Originally published as Motorists turn their backs on traditional utes in droves as US ‘pick up trucks’ take over