Utility vehicles are dominating the New Zealand vehicle market, Driveline chief executive Lance Manins says.
The car leasing and finance company boss says it is a trend that is likely to continue this year, with utes making up five of the 10 bestselling vehicles in 2016.
“Utes have become popular vehicles because they are no longer seen just as a work vehicle, but as a crossover vehicle.
“So people who are living good, active lifestyles are seeing that the storage abilities of the tray in the back to put all your gear in is quite a strong attribute.”
He says the modern utes are similar to other vehicles in terms of comfort as well.
“They’re all right up there with normal vehicles these days,” he says.
And it is a trend not limited to New Zealand, with Australia’s bestselling car last year turning out to be the Toyota Hilux.
“Whereas previously it was Toyota Corolla, Suzuki Swift or Holden Commodore that might have been the bestselling vehicle in Australia, it goes to show how much the utility car sector has grown,” Manins says.
“The utes in the past haven’t really met the expectations of people that are wanting a reasonable standard of quality in the vehicle of features and all that kind of thing. I think that’s where people are really seeing those benefits of utes because they have come up to that quality.”
