Skoda ute wanted in Oz

As Renault and Mercedes scramble to jump on the dual-cab ute bandwagon, other car makers are eying off the increasingly lucrative segment.

Skoda is making subdued but significant noises about a potential ute to increase its million-plus new car sales per year and build stronger foundations in markets like South America, South Africa and Australia.

The Czech car maker is actively exploring the potential to wrap its uniquely angular bodywork over the Amarok platform, which its parent company Volkswagen sells. Skoda's global boss of sales and marketing, Werner Eichhorn, confirmed as much at the 2016 Paris motor show, and now Skoda Australia says it's keen as mustard too.

"I would like to see it [a Skoda ute], we'll be the first ones to put our hands up, and I keep on saying that to the factory as well, and they are looking at those things," Skoda Australia's director, Michael Irmer, revealed.

Utes have become increasingly popular with Australia buyers, accounting for a significant percentage of the million-plus new vehicles sold here each year and with Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Volkswagen able to make solid business cases for a ute, what's stopping Skoda?

"There are not many markets like Australia," agreed Irmer, "so at the end of the day it comes down to numbers and where do you put your investment as a brand, where you can globally grow the most?

"It's head office's decision whether they will make a pick-up version, or something else," he said, hinting that the company's continued annual global growth is fuelling continued product expansion plans.

In Australia, the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are the league leaders at present but the arrival of the Renault Alaskan and Mercedes-Benz X-Class will deliver more choice for buyers when they arrive in the next couple of years.

It remains to be seen whether the arrival of more utes in key markets will help or hinder Skoda's decision to give the green light to a utility.

Mercedes reckons its X-Class will shake up the sector, being the first luxury ute in the globally-defined small pick-up segment. Skoda by comparison would be unlikely to push the top end like Volkswagen and Mercedes, but its focus on safety and technology would certainly tempt a subset of buyers, both here and in global markets.

Hyundai has also developed a new ute, the Santa Cruz, but the local importer has said the ute is too small and too light and has put the kybosh on an Australian market launch.

Like Skoda Australia, Hyundai Australia is understood to be pushing its head office to begin development on a Toyota HiLux rival, but both importers will be playing the waiting game for now.

The Czech company is not new to utes either. In 2015 it revealed the Skoda Fabia Funster Pick-up, although its tiny size and likeness to a Suzuki Mightyboy means it'll never reach production.