What is a ute in Australia?
A ute, short for utility vehicle, is a car-based vehicle or light truck with an open tray at the back. Utes are hugely popular in Australia with tradies, farmers and families.
The classic Australian ute was invented at Ford Australia in Geelong. In 1932, a farmer's wife wrote asking for a vehicle she could drive to church on Sunday and use to carry pigs to market on Monday. Designer Lewis Bandt created the coupe utility, released in 1934.
For decades, Holden and Ford built car-based utes in Australia, such as the Holden Commodore Ute and Ford Falcon Ute. Local manufacturing ended in 2016 and 2017.
Today's utes
Today the term mostly refers to dual-cab pickup trucks such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, which have been among Australia's best-selling vehicles in recent years.
Ute musters in country towns celebrate ute culture with parades, competitions for the best decorated utes and music, drawing thousands of fans.
In rural areas, working dogs often ride in the tray, and some states have rules requiring them to be tethered for safety. Utes are also popular for camping trips, fitted with canopies, roof tents and storage drawers for long journeys into the outback.
Did You Know?
The Deniliquin Ute Muster in New South Wales once set a world record for the largest parade of utes.