Chery has introduced a distinctively Australian title for its first ute in Australia, however it’s been seen earlier than on one other ute Down Below.
Not like the Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6-rivalling diesel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab ute that Chery is launching this 12 months, the Suzuki Stockman was a diminutive ute based mostly on the easy Sierra off-roader.
The Stockman was obtainable way back to 1979, with the nameplate utilized to the vary of LJ off-roaders – utes and wagons alike – within the Australian market. With the next era in Australia, launched in 1981 because the Sierra, the Stockman title was reserved for the ute physique type.
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With both era, the Stockman weighed below a tonne and used a small four-cylinder engine. Its final 12 months in our market was 2000, and Suzuki hasn’t provided a ute in Australia since.
“We’re flattered to see the Stockman title again within the headlines,” mentioned Suzuki Australia’s common supervisor of vehicles, Michael Pachota.
“For a lot of Australians, Stockman is a reputation that has been synonymous with Suzuki journey and functionality for many years, incomes its place in Australian motoring folklore by means of the Sierra Stockman of the Eighties and Nineties.
“As they are saying, imitation is the sincerest type of flattery.
“We’re pleased with the heritage Suzuki constructed across the Stockman title and we’re delighted to see it stays memorable sufficient to encourage others all these years later. Whereas others might undertake the title, its place in Australian automotive historical past will all the time be intently linked with Suzuki.”
Stockman wasn’t the one title on Chery’s shortlist of title submissions which had beforehand been utilized by one other model. Longreach was a trim degree on the Ford Falcon ute and Terra is the title of a Nissan Navara-based SUV bought abroad.
These have been amongst a claimed 20,000-plus submissions to Chery for its ute-naming competitors.
One other title shortlisted was Orca, a not-so-subtle dig on the BYD Shark 6 with which the Chery Stockman will compete.
Chery gross sales grew in Australia by 176.8 per cent in 2025 to 34,889 models – placing it in thirteenth place – and are up by 84.3 per cent year-to-date to twenty,459 models. In distinction, Suzuki’s gross sales have been down 27.7 per cent to fifteen,378, placing it in twentieth place, and are down 22.0 per cent to 5452 models thus far this 12 months.
Whereas Suzuki would not compete in the entire identical segments that Chery does, its once-popular Vitara rivals the Chery Tiggo 4. Final 12 months, the Tiggo 4 outsold the Vitara by round 10 to at least one.
The Jimny is by far Suzuki’s hottest mannequin. Thus far this 12 months, the Japanese small-car model has delivered 3193 examples, forward of the second-placed Swift hatch with 1282. However in contrast to its Sierra ancestor, there is no ute model obtainable.
The brand new Stockman ute might give Chery a big bump in quantity, because it eyes a top-five spot within the Australian market by 2027. It is arriving right here first with a diesel PHEV powertrain, with a petroleum PHEV powertrain to comply with in 2027.
Suzuki would not have a standard ute in any market, although it gives pickup variations of its cabover kei-class business automobile, the Carry, in markets equivalent to Japan, and these have grow to be common gray imports to Australia. Its final try at a Ford Ranger rival was the Equator, a rebadged Nissan Frontier (Navara) bought within the US from 2009 to 2012.
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