Isuzu UTE hits 200,000 sales in Oz

Isuzu UTE has delivered its 200,000th vehicle to Australian customers in just over 12 years since it entered the market.

It’s been helped no end by its lynchpin model, the Isuzu D-MAX , which has accounted for 74 per cent (148,077 units) of the 200,115 vehicles the Japanese brand has sold in Australia since its launch in November 2008 to the end of February 2021.

And over the past six months the new-generation Isuzu D-MAX has overtaken the Mitsubishi Triton to stand as the third best-selling ute in Australia behind the dominant Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, racking up 11,141 sales compared to 9269 examples of the Triton, 22,372 Rangers and 27,501 for HiLux.

The only other model in the lsuzu UTE range, the Isuzu MU-X large seven-seat SUV, has now reached 52,038 sales since its launch in December 2013.

Isuzu UTE’s first 100,000 sales in Australia took nine years (2008-2017), while doubling that figure took less than five, helping the brand pass the 200,000-unit milestone during February 2021.

Back in 2008, the company opened 39 dealerships Down Under and sold just 273 vehicles.

In 2013, a new-generation Isuzu D-MAX entered the market, helping the brand sell a total of 7782 vehicles that year, while the first full year of sales with both D-MAX and MU-X (2014) realised 16,674 sales.

By 2015, the brand had 100 dealers across the nation and its annual sales passed 20,000 units.

While D-MAX has been the dominant model, the MU-X was the top-selling ute-based SUV for six consecutive years between 2014 and 2020, beating rivals such as the Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner.

In 2018, Isuzu Ute celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Australia, selling a record 27,640 vehicles which remains its high-water mark.

Other high points for the company include its motorsport involvement, notably with D-MAX taking out the ECB Superutes Championship in 2019 (its debut season) with Ross Stone Racing’s Tom Alexander at the wheel.

It also points to its customer-oriented initiatives, such as the 6-6-7 program (six-year warranty, six-year roadside assistance and seven-year capped-price servicing) launched in 2019, plus the I-Venture Club introduced in 2015.

Isuzu UTE Australia’s managing director Hiroyasu Sato said he’d “like to thank each and every one” of the brand’s customers over the years.

“Whether it’s a skilled tradesman in a D-MAX Cab Chassis, a family with young children in an MU-X, or a couple looking to explore our great outdoors, there is an Isuzu vehicle to suit everyone and we appreciate that we are the vehicle of choice for these 200,000 Australians,” he said.

Isuzu UTE sales in Australia:
2008 – 273
2009 – 3566
2010 – 5114
2011 – 6397
2012 – 7782
2013 – 10,209
2014 – 16,674
2015 – 20,984
2016 – 23,377
2017 – 25,804
2018 – 27,640
2019 – 25,311
2020 – 22,111
2021 YTD – 4873
Total: 200,115

Source: VFACTS