When it comes to purchasing a new car, Australians are absolutely spoilt for choice—with close to 500 models from over 50 automotive brands available to choose from. With a population of only 25 million, 1-in-25 Australians made the decision to sign on the dotted line—to purchase a new car in 2019—amounting to 1,062,867 new vehicles driven out of showrooms, as reported by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). 

Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA), with two vehicles to the name; the 1-tonne ute, D-MAX and the 7-seat SUV, MU-X, chalked up 25,311 new vehicle sales in 2019—accounting for 2.4% of total vehicle sales, according to the FCAI report. This result allowed IUA to chart as the 13th best-selling brand for the third-consecutive year, out-selling well-established brands including, BMW, Suzuki, Audi and Renault.

According to that same report, both Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) and utilities (Ute) have continued to top the shopping lists of Australian new car buyers for the better part of the past decade—with the two segments responsible for over 64% of new vehicles driven out of Aussie Dealerships within 2019 alone.

For even longer than that, Australians have held a long-standing love affair with Utes—as the preferable choice of savvy owners seeking versatility, capability and space for the family. Reflective of the Public’s affinity towards these Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV), 16,892 new Isuzu D-MAX utes found their way into Australian garages—representing an 8.9% share of the 1-tonne Ute LCV segment. Delving deeper within that segment—between 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains—reveals that the 4x2 D-MAX (5,116) was the 2nd best-selling 4x2 Ute, outselling the Ford Ranger (3,956).

On the other side of the Isuzu coin is the invulnerable MU-X; which blends the best of the D-MAX’s robust powertrain and ladder-frame chassis, with the comfort and versatility of a large 7-seat SUV. With Australians’ fondness for family-friendly SUVs at an all-time high, the MU-X competes for new car buyers against close to thirty competitors, in the hotly contested ‘SUV Large < $70K’ segment. With the segment accounting for 105,224 of new vehicles sold in 2019, the MU-X commanded a solid 8.0% of that share, selling 8,419 vehicles to chart in 3rd position—ahead of the Subaru Outback (7,210), Mazda CX-9 (7,168) and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (6,477). In Queensland, the MU-X performed impressively to sell 2,573 vehicles with a state market share of 12.3%, to finish the year in 2nd place trailing the Toyota Prado (5,376).

With the trending shift in SUV design towards refinement and city-focused features, many buyers are flocking towards ‘ute-based SUVs’—which have the underpinnings of their ute cousins; with a similar powertrain, comparable chassis and high ground clearance. The MU-X has all of the above in spades and with an unassailable run in the 2019 sales charts it was once again the best-selling ‘ute-based SUV’—outselling the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (6,477), Ford Everest (5,333) and Toyota Fortuner (3,033). This marks the 6th consecutive year that the MU-X has topped the ‘ute-based SUV’ sales chart, since its debut in December 2013.

“Since its introduction, the MU-X has grown year-on-year in popularity, as one of the top choices of Australians and still charts as the best-selling ute-based SUV on the market,” said proudly, Isuzu UTE Australia Director of Sales and Marketing, Koichiro Yoshida. 

“To put those numbers into perspective, close to 1-in-10 Large SUV buyers with a budget of up to $70,000 chose a new Isuzu MU-X, in 2019.”

“By the same token, the D-MAX has also performed exceptionally well in one of the most competitive markets in the world and with the sentiment towards Utes and SUVs growing year-on-year, we look forward to welcoming more customers to the Isuzu family in 2020,” concluded, Mr Yoshida.