Isuzu D-Max ute eyes city dwellers
Isuzu says the next step is to increase Isuzu ute's urban footprint.
Reputation is everything when selling cars and the Isuzu D-Max is renowned as a tough workhorse in terms of body and drivetrain. The image helps explain why regional and rural buyers are increasingly going for the Thai-built utes. They haven't taken off in the big cities as yet, but they will.
With Isuzu Ute Australia commanding 6 per cent of the 4x4 ute segment to date this year, or about 4900 sales, it is outselling the heavily marketed Volkswagen Amarok by almost 2000 vehicles.
IUA spokesman Dave Harding says the focus since the marque launched here as a separate entity in 2008 has been on slowly consolidating the brand. “We knew the D-Max would be popular in regional areas and we've focused on that,” Harding says, “but growing the dealer network in the metropolitan areas has also been a priority.
“Building a dealer network takes time -- you need to find the right people in the right locations and the dealers need to be satisfied the brand is going to drive sales -- our recent performance will no doubt help with our dealer network expansion.”
Harding says the next step is to increase Isuzu ute's urban footprint. To do that, the D-Max needs factory bling to satisfy family buyers, who increasingly like four-door utes for the height and versatility of having a tray to load everything from bikes to garden mulch.
There's nothing wrong with the exterior looks of the D-Max range but the interior plastics are still not at the class-leading Ford Ranger level. “There's a couple of products in the pipeline but we haven't put a timeframe on it,” Harding says.
“We are the largest distributor of the D-Max outside of the Thai market, but like all importers, we have to negotiate price and specification based on what's coming down the line.” The Thai factory builds more than 200,000 D-Max 4x2 and 4x4s a year and the rugged chassis also underpins the Holden Colorado on sale here. The D-Max range is from $27,200 for the single-cab rear-drive SX with five-speed manual to $51,700 for the LS-T crew cab with five-speed auto.
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