Ute (vehicle)

However, present-day usage of the term "ute" in Australia and New Zealand has expanded to include any vehicle with an open cargo area at the rear,[1][2][3][4][5] which would be called a pickup truck in other countries.

Historically, the term "ute" (short for 'utility vehicle') has been used to describe a 2-door vehicle based on a passenger car chassis, such as the Ford Ranchero, Holden Commodore, Australian Ford Falcon, Chevrolet El Camino and Subaru BRAT.

In the 21st century, the term has become more broadly used, for any vehicle with a cargo tray at the rear (which would be called a pickup truck in other countries).

[13] This was the result of a 1932 letter from the unnamed wife of a farmer in Australia asking for "a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays".

With both Ford and Holden now producing utes, this started the long-standing tradition of Australian-designed two-door vehicles with a tray at the back, based on a passenger-car sedan chassis.

It is common, particularly in rural areas, to customise utes in the "B&S style" with bullbars, spotlights, oversized mudflaps, exhaust pipe flaps and UHF aerials.

[20] The 2017 HSV GTSR Maloo is powered by a 6.2 L (378 cu in) supercharged V8 engine producing 435 kW (583 hp).

[25] The cargo bed was separated so that both "utility" and "cab chassis" body styles could be produced together.

In 1984, Holden discontinued the ute variant and it was not part of the VB to VL Commodore ranges.

[31] In 2008, the VE Commodore Ute was proposed to be exported to North America as the Pontiac G8 ST. At least one prototype was built, but GM decided not to proceed with production due to the Global Financial Crisis.

From 1983 to 1988, Suzuki built a ute version of their Alto kei car called the Mighty Boy.

Toyota also sold a locally produced CKD ute based on the second- and third-generation Crown (also known as S40 and S50), assembled by Australian Motor Industries.