BUYERS’ GUIDE UTES

The ute as a replacement for the traditional car – is gaining more ground month-by-month. New contenders for this year include SsangYong and Mahindra, while Mitsubishi upgraded its evergreen Triton. RAM trucks from the US increased its range offering in this country while HSV has added a RHD Silverado to its Colorado-based SportsCat line. China’s Great Wall has given its Steed a mild upgrade with the promise of better to come in 2020, with Hyundai hinting at a ute developed over a five-year timeframe. Meantime, the conventional players continue to consolidate market share and dominance over each other, the top brands developing ‘hero product’ to shore up their existing ranges.