SsangYong Actyon remains a value proposition; replacement due this year may be a real mainstream challenger.
The T60, of course, will sell largely on value for money and competence at a budget price, so the two products might complement each other in the Great Lake stable. Holden’s now out-of-production car-based Commodore Ute range was in 11th place with 235 sales – 205 Commodores and 30 highperformance HSV Maloo utes. The Holden’s departure after the General Motors division stopped building cars in Australia last October, means that the car-based ute genre is over. The only other survivor, the Ford Falcon, became defunct when Ford stopped building cars in Australia in 2016. The 2017 sales total was slightly ahead of 2016’s 201 Commodores and 21 Maloos and reflected Holden’s special editions and deals in the model line’s final years. In 12th place was the new kid on the ute block, the LDV T60. It’s the Chinese van manufacturer’s first pick-up truck and will be followed later this year by a body-on-frame SUV based on the same chassis and running gear. The first few shipments were sold out before they even arrived, and LDV is selling the ute in two grades, the workhorse-oriented T60, and the more upmarket T60 Luxury. The latter gets better equipment and a softer suspension tune intended to provide a smoother ride than the heavy-duty springing used in the workhorse. Both are offered with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. LDV sold 186 T60s in the few weeks before the year ended, and the potential is there to move a lot more. In just a few weeks, LDV sold more T60s than rival Chinese brand Great Wall managed over almost a full year. Great Wall’s Steed arrived on the market in very early 2017, but took some time to get out of the blocks. It replaced the old V-series – the diesel V200 and petrol V240 – which became ineligible to be sold here because they lacked the mandatory-by-law electronic stability control. The Steed retained the cabin section of the V-series but added a larger cargo tray and more front end sheetmetal. It took a hit when ANCAP rated its crash safety at a low two stars which embarrassed the Australasian distributors who had been emphasising safety in their marketing material. Great Wall sold 170 Steeds during 2017; of them 102 were petrol-
Mahindra Pik-Up – rugged but not rough, a tough workhorse at a low price.
powered, an outcome that mirrors V-series sales where gasoline-powered V240s outdistanced the V200 at the cash register. The utes sell on highly competitive pricing, but the poor safety rating will hurt them in a market environment where consumers are becoming much more safety-conscious. In 14th place was a vehicle that is not strictly a ute, Suzuki’s cutely retro-styled Jimny compact SUV. The SUV is categorised as a ute by the NZTA, so its sales figures are included in the ute chart. The little wagon has undergone a surge in popularity this year that saw
LCV | 45