Isuzu UTE Clocks Up 40,000 Sales

After entering the Australian market in late-2008, Brisbane-based vehicle distributor Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) recently sold its 40,000th vehicle.

The Isuzu D-MAX has enjoyed significant year-on-year growth and with 1,478 sales in June achieved a respectable 7.4 percent market share in the ultra-competitive one-tonne ute segment – while IUA’s newcomer, the seven-seat MU-X SUV has already captured a significant share of the large SUV segment.
 
“Since 2009, our year-on-year sales have increased by an average of 29 percent which illustrates the Australian market appreciates the strengths of our product,” said Mr Yasuhiro Takeuchi, IUA’s Managing Director & CEO.
 
“Numerous Ute of the Year awards both here and internationally leave no doubt our D-MAX has proven itself a capable performer – and this is backed by the feedback we receive from both our private and fleet customers who test our vehicles in some very extreme conditions day-in, day-out.
 
“Our exceptional customer satisfaction results are something we are very proud of and demonstrates our D-MAX owners made the right decision when confronted with the vast choices in the one-tonne ute segment; every day we work hard to ensure this tradition continues,” Mr Takeuchi added.
 
The recent awarding of a five-star ANCAP rating to all 4x4 D-MAX crew cab models has also seen a significant rise in enquiry and procurement from fleet and government buyers, further assisting IUA’s sales results.
 
IUA’s impressive performance has also been buoyed by the instant success of its new seven-seat SUV, the MU-X. After just seven months in the market, the MU-X has clocked up 2,359 sales, capturing 4.7 percent of the large SUV segment. In recent months, the MU-X outpaced several established marques, including Hyundai’s Santa Fe, Nissan’s Pathfinder and Mazda’s CX-9.
 
“As our sales figures reflect, the MU-X has been very well received in the competitive SUV market and takes our brand not only to a new audience, but heralds a new chapter in our company’s history.
 
 “Moving from offering only a light-commercial vehicle product, to adding a passenger vehicle to your line up – in arguably the country’s most competitive segment – you will always have a certain level of trepidation but the addition of the MU-X to our Isuzu UTE family has been a rewarding experience ,” he added.
 
In unison with its rapid sales growth, IUA’s dealership network has expanded from an original 39 dealers in 2008 to a group of 91 across the country today, with plans afoot for further expansion in next 12 months.