November 2023 – Reflective of its current position as one of Australia’s top-10 automotive brands, Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) has achieved two landmark milestones; with the two-nameplate brand announcing that it sold and delivered its 300,000th vehicle in October 2023, an accomplishment that comes as the marque celebrates their 15-year anniversary in Australia.
IUA began its Australian journey in 2008 with the debut of the D-MAX ute, with the MU-X SUV following the same path just five years later in 2013. Over the years, both nameplates have become a staple of everyday Australian motoring; not only earning their keep in the driveways of thousands of Australian homes but earning a stack of accolades awarded by the Australian motoring media due to their earnt reputation for dependability, fit-for-purpose, and value for money.
“It is quite fortuitous that we welcomed our 300,000th vehicle to an Australian home while celebrating our 15-year anniversary at the same time,” remarked Isuzu UTE Australia Managing Director, Junta Matsui.
“Not only would I like to take this opportunity to thank every single customer that has chosen an Isuzu over the last 15 years, but I’d also like to thank not just the 19 dealers that have been with us from the start in 2008, but our whole Dealer Network. We certainly would not be celebrating two landmark achievements today if it weren’t for their remarkable commitment, loyalty, and service to the brand and our customers.”
“As our brand has grown, so too has our dealer network, which has grown to over 165 sites across the country; an expansive footprint that serves the 300,000 Isuzus on Australian roads.”
In celebration of IUA’s 15th anniversary, the marque welcomed a group of over 250 guests congregating from interstate and internationally—including dealer and corporate office staff, and delegates from Thailand and Japan—to the JW Marriott, Gold Coast. While the meeting celebrated the past success of the brand and the partners involved in making it the brand that it is today, it also reflected on the current sales trajectory, with ambitions to make 2023 to be a year to remember.
With 2023 shaping up to be a record year for new vehicle sales, both the D-MAX ute and MU-X SUV have sold in record numbers locally; with 24,677 D-MAXs and 11,824 MU-Xs finding new homes this year alone; an accumulated total of 36,501 vehicles delivered to date, 1,178 more than the brand’s final tally of 2022, which was 35,323.
Between October 2008 and the end of October 2023, a total of 218,620 D-MAX utes and 84,181 MU-X SUVs had been sold and delivered in Australia; an accumulative tally of 302,801 vehicles sold, as reported by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
This milestone celebrates the upward growth trajectory the brand has seen since its arrival in Australia. In April 2017, the two-vehicle brand sold its 100,000th vehicle, before doubling that effort to 200,000 vehicles sold; less than five years later, in February 2021.
As reported in the October 2023 FCAI VFACTS report, Australia’s two most-popular vehicle types—1-tonne utes and SUVs—continue to lead the annual new vehicle sales charts, with the two segments responsible for three-quarters (78.2 per cent) of all new vehicles sold so far in 2023. Within the respective segments that the D-MAX and MU-X compete in—PU/CC and SUV Large < $70K—combined, both nameplates accounted for one-in-ten of new vehicles sold; with the D-MAX commanding 13.5 per cent market share and MU-X with 11.4 per cent market share.
With thousands of Australian motorists gravitating towards the D-MAX and MU-X as their ute and SUV of choice, it comes as little surprise that Australia’s longest-standing automotive publication, Wheels Magazine, would award the two nameplates top-honours in their inaugural ‘Best Value 4x4 Ute Awards’ and ‘Best Value Off-Road Large SUV Awards’. Looking beyond the sticker price and analysing real-world operating costs such as insurance, fuel-bills, servicing, and resale over a three-year period, Wheels determined that the D-MAX and MU-X were the pick of the bunch.
Reflective of IUA’s sales results to date and the D-MAX and MU-X winning their respective Wheels Magazine awards, Isuzu UTE Australia Managing Director, Junta Matsui, said “it’s great to see that both customers and the Australian motoring media have recognised the D-MAX and MU-X as two of the best value vehicles available on sale today.”
“With healthy levels of vehicle stock landing at dealers locally and this year shaping up to be the biggest year ever for our brand, we are optimistic that this positive trajectory will continue towards the end of the year as we aim for over 40,000 vehicle deliveries in 2023,” he concluded.
As IUA approaches the end of the year, the two-vehicle marque is currently positioned as Australia’s 10th best-selling automotive brand.