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I just happenned to stumble upon something called a UTE which is basically a car with a pickup bed in back I guess like an el camino or ranchero but much better styling almost sport and better mpg as well. I heard before pontiac went away they were gonna build one on like a g6 frame or something like that. Wondering if it's possible to find these in the states?
"Ute" is what the Australians have always called a pickup truck. Short for "utility vehicle". In Australia, usually a Holden.
The Holden was the first pickup truck in the world (1951) that was designed like a coupe in front, so the Ute name might have been used to describe similar vehicles like the El Camino that came later in the USA.
I just happenned to stumble upon something called a UTE which is basically a car with a pickup bed in back I guess like an el camino or ranchero but much better styling almost sport and better mpg as well. I heard before pontiac went away they were gonna build one on like a g6 frame or something like that. Wondering if it's possible to find these in the states?
As far as I know, UTE's appear to be exclusive to Australia and the preferences of their vehicle market. Holden is one of the big makes and it’s a subsidiary of GM. They even have high ouput versions but none of them will ever see import here.
The Holden was the first pickup truck in the world (1951) that was designed like a coupe in front, so the Ute name might have been used to describe similar vehicles like the El Camino that came later in the USA.
Actually, the Aussie Ute had been going on well before then, basically car chassis with pickup beds, lie this '39 Ford Ute:
And this '34, which is often considered the first "ute" (Coupe utility)
It's a coupe car chassis, not a truck chassis. While car chassis based pickups had been around before that, this was the first to actually be a coupe front.
The ute, or car/pickup combo, is an Australian phenomenon. The back story is a farmer's wife requested a car that could be used for work during the day but taken to town at night, and it was born from that idea. I think Ford built the original, and today the major Australian automakers each sell one - Ford and Holden (GM).
In the US, the closest things are the Subaru Brat, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline, and some other pickup trucks that have car-like cabins (older Ford Explorer Sport Trac). I think only the Ridgeline and Avalanche are currently produced and sold here, but there is talk that GM will sell a Caprice ute (formerly the Pontiac you heard about) when the car bows in the USA next year.
As a former South Australian.. a ute is a pickup truck. It could be a Holden (or Ford equivalent) such as the photo above or any 'normal' pickup. GM had at one point thought of bringing the Holden variant over.. alas.. nope.
Now if you are referring to a car based pickup.. the Subaru Baja is the only choice and they are no longer making those..
As a former South Australian.. a ute is a pickup truck. It could be a Holden (or Ford equivalent) such as the photo above or any 'normal' pickup. GM had at one point thought of bringing the Holden variant over.. alas.. nope.
Now if you are referring to a car based pickup.. the Subaru Baja is the only choice and they are no longer making those..
You may have more of an insight than I do but my understanding is that Australian UTE's were car based rather than truck based. The Holden UTE's all seem to ride on the same platform that underpinned the G8 sedan, etc.
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