CAR INDUSTRY CHANGES GEAR FOR OFF-ROAD UTES
AUSTRALIA’S car industry is staging a phoenix-like comeback thanks to the nation’s love of utes.
Thousands of Aussies are working on premium dual-cab utes and American-style pick-ups in Australia for global giants such as Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Nissan, and RAM.
Many previously worked locally on the Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry.
Formerly charged with creating fast Falcons for Ford, Premcar director Bernie Quinn turned his attention to off-road utes when he saw how much money people were spending on accessories for four-wheel-drives.
Premcar developed a kit that transformed the humble Nissan Navara into an imposing ute called the Warrior, using Australian suspension, lights, body parts and other elements. The Warrior now has more than 4000 customers in Australia.
“Over the last five years we’ve probably invested in the region of $20m with Nissan and others,” he said. “They are pretty big numbers.”
Cars are not built from scratch in Australian factories but are heavily modified for a variety of purposes.
RAM trucks Australia employs more than 640 people in an operation that takes huge American-made pickup trucks and converts them.
RAM’s closest rival, General Motors Special Vehicles, completed its 5000th Silverado pick-up in November, two years into a local remanufacturing program that took shape when GM shut Holden.
Toyota is set to start a similar program for the full-sized Tundra ute with the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, and Ford will work with RMA to put F-150 pick-ups in dealerships for the second half of this year.
More than 2300 people worked to create the new Ford Ranger ute and Everest 4WD, sold in 170 countries.