Survey many ute purchasers and you will find the deal had another $5000-6000 added on in accessories and upgrades to the standard ex-factory specification.
It’s not that there is anything wrong with the standard vehicle, it’s more about extending the capability to meet the job the vehicle is expected to do.
With so many ute models competing in the marketplace, brands need to be frugal on specifications to meet the vehicle price points consumers are prepared to pay.
So, this is where consumers adapt their ride to suit their personal applications for both work and leisure time.
It’s debatable who really created the ute as we know it.
Both the US and Australia claim the variants – although they have come a long way from the factory modified automotive design and the basic light commercial vehicle to become the practical tool for the working week and Swiss Army knife for the weekend.
In that time, utes have become a good drive too.
That’s another reason they are so popular.
Just as the American Mini truck has done in the US, the practical side of the motor vehicle has taken over to make this category the biggest selling in new and used markets.
In South Africa the Bakkie, as utes are called, are their models suiting their particularly harsh conditions.
In New Zealand and Australia, the vehicle models are globally sourced and fairly general, in anticipation of upgrades and accessories to make them meet our market demands.
Few utes would ever leave the dealership for delivery to a client without a towbar, with many serving both work and play roles in the weekly routine.
Hard lids or canopy are fitted to many, while soft tonneau tray covers are now less and less seen fitted as original equipment, making them a tick the box option when ordering the new ute.
The tray itself can have many options depending on what the purpose will be, whether that is soft duty for careful use or rugged lining for heavy duty use.
This makes utes a popular sale in dealerships as the added accessories often boost the profit on the sale to the point of making many a dealership profitable.
For the consumer, many accessories add value in making the vehicle more useful and assist the sale at end of life with that owner.
This is a unique feature to utes as the humble car is not so versatile and there would be hundreds if not thousands all exactly the same.
New Zealand is unique in that we have our innate number 8 mentality, from decades of making do with what you have.
Many of the accessories started life as a clever idea that only needed some refinement.
When near perfect the product sales often get to a volume where they need to be supplied by larger factories and in many cases become an imported item.
Some products are exceedingly logical and evolve to get better with every generation and we find New Zealand supplies Australia with towbars, canopies, hard lids and on and on.
We have some very good products and suppliers in New Zealand, and we will be bringing you these brands as we voyage through the year.
