With so much sales success for IUA in Australia, why isn’t Isuzu popular here?
2023 was a record-breaking year Isuzu as it witnessed an unprecedented 1.216 million new vehicles sold in Australia. Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA), with just 2 models, the D-Max 1-Tonne UTE and the MU-X 7-seat SUV, delivered a record 45,341 vehicles, besting the brand’s 2022 results of 35,323 by a staggering 10,018 vehicles.
With the results on paper, and accounting for 3.7 percent of all new vehicles sold, IUA’s results secured the marque a top 10 position in the annual sales charts for the second consecutive year, charting as Australia’s 10th best-selling automotive brand, as reported by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
Moreover, with the Australian new car market comprising close to 450 models from over 50 automotive brands selling locally, Australian motorists were certainly not limited in choice. UTEs and SUVs continued to be the preferred vehicle of choice, accounting for over three-quarters (78.3 percent) of all new vehicles delivered.
For the first time ever, the D-Max closed out the year as one of Australia’s top-three best-selling vehicles overall joining the podium alongside two other UTEs. 31,202 D-Max UTEs were sold and delivered in 2023, representing an increase of 28.2 percent compared to 2022’s results and the first time the brand has delivered over 30,000 UTEs in a calendar year.
With a market share of 12.2 percent, the results showed that close to one-in-eight Australians that purchased a 4×4 UTE in 2023 chose the D-Max, with the nameplate comfortably securing the 3rd position in the ‘Pick Up/Cab Chassis 4X4’ segment.
On top of that, within the ‘Pick Up/Cab Chassis 4X2’ segment, the D-Max took the runner-up position as Australia’s 2nd best-selling 4X2 UTE, with 5,759 D-Max 4X2 UTEs delivered in 2023, accounting for a market share of 18.8 percent.
In 2023, one-in-two new car buyers chose an SUV, with 55.8 percent of Australian buyers picking an SUV, from amongst the offering of close to 150 options locally. Seeing similar levels of growth in the market with an increase of 28.7 percent year-on-year, the MU-X proved popular with Australians as 14,139 examples were sold.
Reflective of this, one-in-nine large SUV buyers with a budget up to AUD70,000 (about RM218,096) chose the MU-X, with the 7-seat SUV recording a ‘SUV Large <AUD70K’ segment market share of 11.2 per cent to chart as the 3rd best-selling SUV out of 23 contenders in the hotly contested segment. Overall, the MU-X was Australia’s 22nd best-selling vehicle.
