Coupé utility
Encyclopedia
The coupé utility automobile body style
Car body style
Automobiles' body styles are highly variable. Some body styles remain in production, while others become less common or obsolete. They may or may not correlate to a car's price, size or intended market classification. The same car model might be available in multiple body styles comprising a...

, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...

.

A coupé utility has a body style with coupé lines, but like a truck, it has an integral open cargo area at the rear. While most modern day coupé utilities are built using a monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 constitution, historical models typically used a light-duty body-on-frame
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame is an automobile construction method. Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame that supports the drivetrain was the original method of building automobiles, and its use continues to this day. The original frames were made of wood , but steel ladder frames became common in the 1930s...

 construction, like the heavy-duty body-on-frame construction used by pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s. As light-duty body-on-frame coupé utilities are automobile-based, they can thus be differentiated from their heavy-duty (pickup truck) counterparts.

History

Ford Australia was the first company to produce a coupe utility. This was the result of a 1932 letter from the wife of a farmer in Victoria, Australia asking for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”. Ford designer Lew Bandt developed a suitable solution and the first coupe utility model was released in 1934. Bandt went on to manage Ford’s Advanced Design Department, being responsible for the body engineering of the XP, XT, XW and XA series Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

 utilities. General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

’ Australian subsidiary Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...

 also produced a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 coupe utility in 1934 but the body style did not appear on the American market until the release of the 1957 Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

.

Both the coupé utility and the similar open topped roadster utility
Roadster utility
A Roadster utility is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility which combines a closed coupe body with a rear cargo bed...

 continued in production but the improving economy of the mid to late 1930s and the desire for improved comfort saw coupe utility sales climb at the expense of the roadster utility until, by 1939, the latter was all but a fading memory.

By the 1980s in North America, the coupé utility began to fall out of favor again with the demise of the Ranchero after 1979, the Volkswagen Caddy
Volkswagen Caddy
Released in 1980, the first Volkswagen Caddy is a coupe utility, and van based on the Volkswagen Group A1 platform, shared with the small family car Volkswagen Golf Mk1.Volkswagen Typ is:*147 = LHD*148 = RHD-Caddy debuts internationally as a Rabbit:...

, Dodge Rampage/Plymouth Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 and of the Chevrolet El Camino by 1987.

Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

 offered the Brat
Subaru BRAT
The Subaru BRAT was the coupe utility version of the Subaru Leone from the 1970s...

 in the early 1980s, and the Baja
Subaru Baja
The Subaru Baja is a light-utility, all-wheel-drive, four passenger, four-door, open-bed vehicle manufactured from 2003-2006 by Subaru. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a car with the open-bed versatility, and to a lesser degree, load capacity of a pickup...

 from 2003-2006. General Motors considered bringing a rebadged Holden Ute to the United States in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST in 2009, but the global recession (and GM's ultimate bankruptcy) caused them to cancel it.

The pickup truck, on the other hand, started its life a little earlier and is defined by its separate, removable, well-type 'pickup bed'. This pickup bed does not contact the cabin part of the vehicle, while the ute bed is an integral part of the whole body. Both the coupé utility and closed cab pickup designs migrated to light truck chassis & these are correctly known respectively as Utility trucks & Pickup trucks. Eventually the pickup design found a natural home on the smaller truck chassis while the ute became entrenched as a passenger car derivative, although exceptions do apply.

Australia

Australians define a "ute" as any commercial vehicle that has an open cargo carrying space, but requires only a passenger car license to drive. This includes coupé utilities, pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s and traybacks (flatbed pickup trucks). An example of the broadness of this definition is that anything from a Ford F250 XL
Ford F-Series
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...

 to a Proton Jumbuck
Proton Arena
The Proton Arena is a small front wheel drive coupé utility manufactured by Malaysian automaker Proton...

 can be called a ute.

North America

In North America, the major automobile and truck manufacturers built them from the 1930s to the 1980s. They were very popular in the early years with florists as a way to transport flowers and potted plants. Examples include the Studebaker Coupe Express
Studebaker Coupe Express
The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck bed....

, or the 1941 Chevrolet Coupe Pickup. A variation of the coupe pickup became the very specialized flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

 that was used by funeral homes as an attendant vehicle to the hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...

 as part of funeral procession
Funeral procession
A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles, from a church, synagogue, or mosque to the cemetery. The deceased is usually transported in a hearse, while family and friends follow in their vehicles.- Standard procedure :...

s. Flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

s were custom-manufactured by several aftermarket
Aftermarket (automotive)
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the...

 coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...

s by modifying a standard-production sedan, station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...

, or carryall
Carryall
Historically, a carryall is a type of carriage used in the United States in the 19th century. It is a light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually drawn by a single horse and with seats for four or more passengers. The word is derived by folk etymology from the French carriole...

 (aka "suburban") in the same manner that ambulances, hearses, crummies, fire command cars, and fire apparatus
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...

 were/are manufactured.

The Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

 was produced between 1957 and 1979 based on full-size, compact and intermediate automobiles by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 for the North American market. Variations based on the original 1960 US Falcon for home markets in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 were produced through the late 1980s.
Though Ford car/truck combinations had been around since 1934 when Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...

's lone designer Lew Bandt penned the world's first coupe utility, thereby spawning the popularity of the so-called "ute" in that country, the Ranchero was the first postwar American vehicle of its type from the factory.

The Chevrolet El Camino
Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

 was produced by the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 from 1959 through 1960, with production resuming in 1964 and continuing through 1987. El Camino was produced in response to the success of its rival Ford Ranchero. It had a variant called the GMC Sprint and later named the GMC Caballero
GMC Caballero
The GMC Sprint is a coupe utility that was produced by the GMC division of General Motors for the 1971–1977 model years. The Sprint was renamed Caballero for the 1978 model year and was produced through 1987. The rear-wheel-drive car based pick-ups were sold by GMC Truck dealers mainly in the...

 from 1978-1987. In Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, it was also sold as the Chevrolet Conquistador.

Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

 produced the Rampage
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 from 1982 to 1984, based on the front wheel drive L-body
Chrysler L platform
Chrysler's L platform was used in a family of compact automobiles produced from 1978 to 1990. It was created in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s and was a line of similar Dodge and Plymouth vehicles...

 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (L-body)
The Dodge Charger was built by Dodge, a division of Chrysler Corporation. There have been a number of vehicles bearing the Charger nameplate, but the name has generally denoted a performance model in the Dodge range...

. Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...

 also had a variation called the Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

.

Examples

Since readers in many parts of the world may be unfamiliar with the formal term "Coupé Utility", here follows some examples of vehicles using this body style.

Coupé utilities of the past

  • 1959–1960, 1964–1987 Chevrolet El Camino
    Chevrolet El Camino
    The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

  • 1965–1979 Chrysler Valiant
    Chrysler Valiant
    The Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...

     utility
  • 1982–1984 Dodge Rampage
    Dodge Rampage
    The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

  • 1977–2001 Fiat Fiorino
    Fiat Fiorino
    Fiorino is a model name that Italian car maker Fiat gives to the van derivatives of its small cars and also the name of an old Italian coin, normally translated into English as the Florin.- First generation :...

  • 1934 Ford Coupe Utility
    Coupé utility
    The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....

     (Australia)
  • 1961–1999 Ford Falcon
    Ford Falcon (Australia)
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     utility
  • 1952–1958 Ford Mainline
    Ford Mainline
    The Ford Mainline is an automobile which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States in the models years 1952 to 1956. It was introduced as the base trim level of the 1952 Ford range below the Customline and Crestline models...

     utility
  • 1971–1993 Ford P100
    Ford P100
    The Ford P100 was a pickup truck built from 1971 to 1993; initially in South Africa, and later Portugal upon the design of a medium-sized Ford car, originally the Ford Cortina and from 1988 the Ford Sierra.-Description:...

  • 1957–1959 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (full-size)
  • 1960–1965 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Falcon compact)
  • 1966–1979 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Fairlane/Torino mid-size)
  • 1982–1993 Ford Sierra
    Ford Sierra
    The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....

  • 1987–2002 FSO Polonez Truck
    FSO Polonez
    The FSO Polonez is a Polish motor vehicle produced from 1978 to 2002. The car name comes from the Polish dance, polonaise.-Background:The Polonez is a rebodied Polski Fiat 125p that Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych built under license from Fiat...


The coupé utility automobile body style
Car body style
Automobiles' body styles are highly variable. Some body styles remain in production, while others become less common or obsolete. They may or may not correlate to a car's price, size or intended market classification. The same car model might be available in multiple body styles comprising a...

, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...

.

A coupé utility has a body style with coupé lines, but like a truck, it has an integral open cargo area at the rear. While most modern day coupé utilities are built using a monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 constitution, historical models typically used a light-duty body-on-frame
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame is an automobile construction method. Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame that supports the drivetrain was the original method of building automobiles, and its use continues to this day. The original frames were made of wood , but steel ladder frames became common in the 1930s...

 construction, like the heavy-duty body-on-frame construction used by pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s. As light-duty body-on-frame coupé utilities are automobile-based, they can thus be differentiated from their heavy-duty (pickup truck) counterparts.

History

Ford Australia was the first company to produce a coupe utility. This was the result of a 1932 letter from the wife of a farmer in Victoria, Australia asking for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”. Ford designer Lew Bandt developed a suitable solution and the first coupe utility model was released in 1934. Bandt went on to manage Ford’s Advanced Design Department, being responsible for the body engineering of the XP, XT, XW and XA series Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

 utilities. General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

’ Australian subsidiary Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...

 also produced a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 coupe utility in 1934 but the body style did not appear on the American market until the release of the 1957 Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

.

Both the coupé utility and the similar open topped roadster utility
Roadster utility
A Roadster utility is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility which combines a closed coupe body with a rear cargo bed...

 continued in production but the improving economy of the mid to late 1930s and the desire for improved comfort saw coupe utility sales climb at the expense of the roadster utility until, by 1939, the latter was all but a fading memory.

By the 1980s in North America, the coupé utility began to fall out of favor again with the demise of the Ranchero after 1979, the Volkswagen Caddy
Volkswagen Caddy
Released in 1980, the first Volkswagen Caddy is a coupe utility, and van based on the Volkswagen Group A1 platform, shared with the small family car Volkswagen Golf Mk1.Volkswagen Typ is:*147 = LHD*148 = RHD-Caddy debuts internationally as a Rabbit:...

, Dodge Rampage/Plymouth Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 and of the Chevrolet El Camino by 1987.

Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

 offered the Brat
Subaru BRAT
The Subaru BRAT was the coupe utility version of the Subaru Leone from the 1970s...

 in the early 1980s, and the Baja
Subaru Baja
The Subaru Baja is a light-utility, all-wheel-drive, four passenger, four-door, open-bed vehicle manufactured from 2003-2006 by Subaru. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a car with the open-bed versatility, and to a lesser degree, load capacity of a pickup...

 from 2003-2006. General Motors considered bringing a rebadged Holden Ute to the United States in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST in 2009, but the global recession (and GM's ultimate bankruptcy) caused them to cancel it.

The pickup truck, on the other hand, started its life a little earlier and is defined by its separate, removable, well-type 'pickup bed'. This pickup bed does not contact the cabin part of the vehicle, while the ute bed is an integral part of the whole body. Both the coupé utility and closed cab pickup designs migrated to light truck chassis & these are correctly known respectively as Utility trucks & Pickup trucks. Eventually the pickup design found a natural home on the smaller truck chassis while the ute became entrenched as a passenger car derivative, although exceptions do apply.

Australia

Australians define a "ute" as any commercial vehicle that has an open cargo carrying space, but requires only a passenger car license to drive. This includes coupé utilities, pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s and traybacks (flatbed pickup trucks). An example of the broadness of this definition is that anything from a Ford F250 XL
Ford F-Series
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...

 to a Proton Jumbuck
Proton Arena
The Proton Arena is a small front wheel drive coupé utility manufactured by Malaysian automaker Proton...

 can be called a ute.

North America

In North America, the major automobile and truck manufacturers built them from the 1930s to the 1980s. They were very popular in the early years with florists as a way to transport flowers and potted plants. Examples include the Studebaker Coupe Express
Studebaker Coupe Express
The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck bed....

, or the 1941 Chevrolet Coupe Pickup. A variation of the coupe pickup became the very specialized flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

 that was used by funeral homes as an attendant vehicle to the hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...

 as part of funeral procession
Funeral procession
A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles, from a church, synagogue, or mosque to the cemetery. The deceased is usually transported in a hearse, while family and friends follow in their vehicles.- Standard procedure :...

s. Flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

s were custom-manufactured by several aftermarket
Aftermarket (automotive)
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the...

 coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...

s by modifying a standard-production sedan, station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...

, or carryall
Carryall
Historically, a carryall is a type of carriage used in the United States in the 19th century. It is a light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually drawn by a single horse and with seats for four or more passengers. The word is derived by folk etymology from the French carriole...

 (aka "suburban") in the same manner that ambulances, hearses, crummies, fire command cars, and fire apparatus
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...

 were/are manufactured.

The Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

 was produced between 1957 and 1979 based on full-size, compact and intermediate automobiles by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 for the North American market. Variations based on the original 1960 US Falcon for home markets in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 were produced through the late 1980s.
Though Ford car/truck combinations had been around since 1934 when Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...

's lone designer Lew Bandt penned the world's first coupe utility, thereby spawning the popularity of the so-called "ute" in that country, the Ranchero was the first postwar American vehicle of its type from the factory.

The Chevrolet El Camino
Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

 was produced by the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 from 1959 through 1960, with production resuming in 1964 and continuing through 1987. El Camino was produced in response to the success of its rival Ford Ranchero. It had a variant called the GMC Sprint and later named the GMC Caballero
GMC Caballero
The GMC Sprint is a coupe utility that was produced by the GMC division of General Motors for the 1971–1977 model years. The Sprint was renamed Caballero for the 1978 model year and was produced through 1987. The rear-wheel-drive car based pick-ups were sold by GMC Truck dealers mainly in the...

 from 1978-1987. In Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, it was also sold as the Chevrolet Conquistador.

Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

 produced the Rampage
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 from 1982 to 1984, based on the front wheel drive L-body
Chrysler L platform
Chrysler's L platform was used in a family of compact automobiles produced from 1978 to 1990. It was created in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s and was a line of similar Dodge and Plymouth vehicles...

 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (L-body)
The Dodge Charger was built by Dodge, a division of Chrysler Corporation. There have been a number of vehicles bearing the Charger nameplate, but the name has generally denoted a performance model in the Dodge range...

. Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...

 also had a variation called the Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

.

Examples

Since readers in many parts of the world may be unfamiliar with the formal term "Coupé Utility", here follows some examples of vehicles using this body style.

Coupé utilities of the past

  • 1959–1960, 1964–1987 Chevrolet El Camino
    Chevrolet El Camino
    The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

  • 1965–1979 Chrysler Valiant
    Chrysler Valiant
    The Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...

     utility
  • 1982–1984 Dodge Rampage
    Dodge Rampage
    The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

  • 1977–2001 Fiat Fiorino
    Fiat Fiorino
    Fiorino is a model name that Italian car maker Fiat gives to the van derivatives of its small cars and also the name of an old Italian coin, normally translated into English as the Florin.- First generation :...

     
  • 1934 Ford Coupe Utility
    Coupé utility
    The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....

     (Australia)
  • 1961–1999 Ford Falcon
    Ford Falcon (Australia)
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     utility
  • 1952–1958 Ford Mainline
    Ford Mainline
    The Ford Mainline is an automobile which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States in the models years 1952 to 1956. It was introduced as the base trim level of the 1952 Ford range below the Customline and Crestline models...

     utility
  • 1971–1993 Ford P100
    Ford P100
    The Ford P100 was a pickup truck built from 1971 to 1993; initially in South Africa, and later Portugal upon the design of a medium-sized Ford car, originally the Ford Cortina and from 1988 the Ford Sierra.-Description:...

  • 1957–1959 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (full-size)
  • 1960–1965 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Falcon compact)
  • 1966–1979 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Fairlane/Torino mid-size)
  • 1982–1993 Ford Sierra
    Ford Sierra
    The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....

     
  • 1987–2002 FSO Polonez Truck
    FSO Polonez
    The FSO Polonez is a Polish motor vehicle produced from 1978 to 2002. The car name comes from the Polish dance, polonaise.-Background:The Polonez is a rebodied Polski Fiat 125p that Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych built under license from Fiat...


The coupé utility automobile body style
Car body style
Automobiles' body styles are highly variable. Some body styles remain in production, while others become less common or obsolete. They may or may not correlate to a car's price, size or intended market classification. The same car model might be available in multiple body styles comprising a...

, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...

.

A coupé utility has a body style with coupé lines, but like a truck, it has an integral open cargo area at the rear. While most modern day coupé utilities are built using a monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 constitution, historical models typically used a light-duty body-on-frame
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame is an automobile construction method. Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame that supports the drivetrain was the original method of building automobiles, and its use continues to this day. The original frames were made of wood , but steel ladder frames became common in the 1930s...

 construction, like the heavy-duty body-on-frame construction used by pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s. As light-duty body-on-frame coupé utilities are automobile-based, they can thus be differentiated from their heavy-duty (pickup truck) counterparts.

History

Ford Australia was the first company to produce a coupe utility. This was the result of a 1932 letter from the wife of a farmer in Victoria, Australia asking for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”. Ford designer Lew Bandt developed a suitable solution and the first coupe utility model was released in 1934. Bandt went on to manage Ford’s Advanced Design Department, being responsible for the body engineering of the XP, XT, XW and XA series Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

 utilities. General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

’ Australian subsidiary Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...

 also produced a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 coupe utility in 1934 but the body style did not appear on the American market until the release of the 1957 Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

.

Both the coupé utility and the similar open topped roadster utility
Roadster utility
A Roadster utility is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility which combines a closed coupe body with a rear cargo bed...

 continued in production but the improving economy of the mid to late 1930s and the desire for improved comfort saw coupe utility sales climb at the expense of the roadster utility until, by 1939, the latter was all but a fading memory.

By the 1980s in North America, the coupé utility began to fall out of favor again with the demise of the Ranchero after 1979, the Volkswagen Caddy
Volkswagen Caddy
Released in 1980, the first Volkswagen Caddy is a coupe utility, and van based on the Volkswagen Group A1 platform, shared with the small family car Volkswagen Golf Mk1.Volkswagen Typ is:*147 = LHD*148 = RHD-Caddy debuts internationally as a Rabbit:...

, Dodge Rampage/Plymouth Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 and of the Chevrolet El Camino by 1987.

Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

 offered the Brat
Subaru BRAT
The Subaru BRAT was the coupe utility version of the Subaru Leone from the 1970s...

 in the early 1980s, and the Baja
Subaru Baja
The Subaru Baja is a light-utility, all-wheel-drive, four passenger, four-door, open-bed vehicle manufactured from 2003-2006 by Subaru. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a car with the open-bed versatility, and to a lesser degree, load capacity of a pickup...

 from 2003-2006. General Motors considered bringing a rebadged Holden Ute to the United States in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST in 2009, but the global recession (and GM's ultimate bankruptcy) caused them to cancel it.

The pickup truck, on the other hand, started its life a little earlier and is defined by its separate, removable, well-type 'pickup bed'. This pickup bed does not contact the cabin part of the vehicle, while the ute bed is an integral part of the whole body. Both the coupé utility and closed cab pickup designs migrated to light truck chassis & these are correctly known respectively as Utility trucks & Pickup trucks. Eventually the pickup design found a natural home on the smaller truck chassis while the ute became entrenched as a passenger car derivative, although exceptions do apply.

Australia

Australians define a "ute" as any commercial vehicle that has an open cargo carrying space, but requires only a passenger car license to drive. This includes coupé utilities, pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s and traybacks (flatbed pickup trucks). An example of the broadness of this definition is that anything from a Ford F250 XL
Ford F-Series
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...

 to a Proton Jumbuck
Proton Arena
The Proton Arena is a small front wheel drive coupé utility manufactured by Malaysian automaker Proton...

 can be called a ute.

North America

In North America, the major automobile and truck manufacturers built them from the 1930s to the 1980s. They were very popular in the early years with florists as a way to transport flowers and potted plants. Examples include the Studebaker Coupe Express
Studebaker Coupe Express
The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck bed....

, or the 1941 Chevrolet Coupe Pickup. A variation of the coupe pickup became the very specialized flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

 that was used by funeral homes as an attendant vehicle to the hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...

 as part of funeral procession
Funeral procession
A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles, from a church, synagogue, or mosque to the cemetery. The deceased is usually transported in a hearse, while family and friends follow in their vehicles.- Standard procedure :...

s. Flower car
Flower car
A flower car is a type of vehicle used in the funeral industry, used to carry flowers for the burial service, or sometimes to carry the coffin under a bed of flowers. Built on the same commercial chassis as a hearse, the flower car has half-height rear bodywork on the rear similar to a pickup truck...

s were custom-manufactured by several aftermarket
Aftermarket (automotive)
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the...

 coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...

s by modifying a standard-production sedan, station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...

, or carryall
Carryall
Historically, a carryall is a type of carriage used in the United States in the 19th century. It is a light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually drawn by a single horse and with seats for four or more passengers. The word is derived by folk etymology from the French carriole...

 (aka "suburban") in the same manner that ambulances, hearses, crummies, fire command cars, and fire apparatus
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...

 were/are manufactured.

The Ford Ranchero
Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

 was produced between 1957 and 1979 based on full-size, compact and intermediate automobiles by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 for the North American market. Variations based on the original 1960 US Falcon for home markets in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 were produced through the late 1980s.
Though Ford car/truck combinations had been around since 1934 when Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...

's lone designer Lew Bandt penned the world's first coupe utility, thereby spawning the popularity of the so-called "ute" in that country, the Ranchero was the first postwar American vehicle of its type from the factory.

The Chevrolet El Camino
Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

 was produced by the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 from 1959 through 1960, with production resuming in 1964 and continuing through 1987. El Camino was produced in response to the success of its rival Ford Ranchero. It had a variant called the GMC Sprint and later named the GMC Caballero
GMC Caballero
The GMC Sprint is a coupe utility that was produced by the GMC division of General Motors for the 1971–1977 model years. The Sprint was renamed Caballero for the 1978 model year and was produced through 1987. The rear-wheel-drive car based pick-ups were sold by GMC Truck dealers mainly in the...

 from 1978-1987. In Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, it was also sold as the Chevrolet Conquistador.

Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

 produced the Rampage
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

 from 1982 to 1984, based on the front wheel drive L-body
Chrysler L platform
Chrysler's L platform was used in a family of compact automobiles produced from 1978 to 1990. It was created in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s and was a line of similar Dodge and Plymouth vehicles...

 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (L-body)
The Dodge Charger was built by Dodge, a division of Chrysler Corporation. There have been a number of vehicles bearing the Charger nameplate, but the name has generally denoted a performance model in the Dodge range...

. Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...

 also had a variation called the Scamp
Dodge Rampage
The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

.

Examples

Since readers in many parts of the world may be unfamiliar with the formal term "Coupé Utility", here follows some examples of vehicles using this body style.

Coupé utilities of the past

  • 1959–1960, 1964–1987 Chevrolet El Camino
    Chevrolet El Camino
    The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...

  • 1965–1979 Chrysler Valiant
    Chrysler Valiant
    The Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...

     utility
  • 1982–1984 Dodge Rampage
    Dodge Rampage
    The Dodge Rampage was a subcompact, unibody coupe utility based on Chrysler's L platform and manufactured from 1982-1984. First released as a 1982 model, the Rampage was later joined by its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Scamp....

  • 1977–2001 Fiat Fiorino
    Fiat Fiorino
    Fiorino is a model name that Italian car maker Fiat gives to the van derivatives of its small cars and also the name of an old Italian coin, normally translated into English as the Florin.- First generation :...

     
  • 1934 Ford Coupe Utility
    Coupé utility
    The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....

     (Australia)
  • 1961–1999 Ford Falcon
    Ford Falcon (Australia)
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     utility
  • 1952–1958 Ford Mainline
    Ford Mainline
    The Ford Mainline is an automobile which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States in the models years 1952 to 1956. It was introduced as the base trim level of the 1952 Ford range below the Customline and Crestline models...

     utility
  • 1971–1993 Ford P100
    Ford P100
    The Ford P100 was a pickup truck built from 1971 to 1993; initially in South Africa, and later Portugal upon the design of a medium-sized Ford car, originally the Ford Cortina and from 1988 the Ford Sierra.-Description:...

  • 1957–1959 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (full-size)
  • 1960–1965 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Falcon compact)
  • 1966–1979 Ford Ranchero
    Ford Ranchero
    The Ford Ranchero was a coupe utility produced between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run...

     (Fairlane/Torino mid-size)
  • 1982–1993 Ford Sierra
    Ford Sierra
    The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....

     
  • 1987–2002 FSO Polonez Truck
    FSO Polonez
    The FSO Polonez is a Polish motor vehicle produced from 1978 to 2002. The car name comes from the Polish dance, polonaise.-Background:The Polonez is a rebodied Polski Fiat 125p that Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych built under license from Fiat...

     
  • 1961–1982 Mini Pick-Up/95
  • 1971–1980 Morris/Austin Marina
    Morris Marina
    The Morris Marina is a car which was manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland in the UK throughout the 1970s, which was a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. It was known in some markets as the Austin Marina, Leyland Marina, and Morris 1.7...

     
  • 1955–1966 Peugeot 403
    Peugeot 403
    The Peugeot 403 is a car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1955 to 1966.-History:The 403 made its debut in saloon body style on 20 April 1955 at the Trocadéro Palace in Paris...

     
  • 1960–1991 Peugeot 404
    Peugeot 404
    The Peugeot 404 is a large family car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975, with the exception of the truck which was sold until 1988. It was also made under licence in various African countries until 1991 . It was also built in Argentina by Sevel.Designed by...

  • 1968–2005 Peugeot 504
    Peugeot 504
    The Peugeot 504 is a large family car manufactured by French automaker Peugeot between 1968 and 1983, with licensed production continuing until 2006.-1968 — introduction:...

     
  • 1993–2006 Opel Corsa
    Opel Corsa
    The front-wheel drive Opel Corsa was first launched in September 1982 to replace the Opel Kadett C City, and to fill the gap vacated as the Kadett grew in size and price. Built in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door saloon models, with four-door and five-door...

     
  • 1995–2000 Škoda Felicia Fun
    Škoda Felicia
    For the Skoda Felicia of 1959 to 1964 see Škoda Felicia The Škoda Felicia, is a small family car produced by the Czech automaker Škoda Auto between 1994 and 2001 . It was one of the first models to benefit from Škoda Auto's takeover by the German giant Volkswagen Group...

  • 1937–1939 Studebaker Coupe Express
    Studebaker Coupe Express
    The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck bed....

  • 2003–2006 Subaru Baja
    Subaru Baja
    The Subaru Baja is a light-utility, all-wheel-drive, four passenger, four-door, open-bed vehicle manufactured from 2003-2006 by Subaru. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a car with the open-bed versatility, and to a lesser degree, load capacity of a pickup...

  • 1978–1993 Subaru BRAT
    Subaru BRAT
    The Subaru BRAT was the coupe utility version of the Subaru Leone from the 1970s...

  • 1962–1971 Toyopet/Toyota Crown
  • 1979–1984 Volkswagen Caddy
    Volkswagen Caddy
    Released in 1980, the first Volkswagen Caddy is a coupe utility, and van based on the Volkswagen Group A1 platform, shared with the small family car Volkswagen Golf Mk1.Volkswagen Typ is:*147 = LHD*148 = RHD-Caddy debuts internationally as a Rabbit:...



Modern coupé utilities

Modern vehicles of the Coupe utility style include, among others:
  • 2003–present Chevrolet Montana/Opel Corsa Utility
    Chevrolet Montana
    The Chevrolet Montana is a coupe utility sold by Chevrolet in Latin America and emerging markets. The design is a variation of the Opel Corsa, essentially a pickup version of the Opel Combo. In Mexico the vehicle is known as Chevrolet Tornado because of Pontiac using the Montana name for its...

  • 2007–present Dacia Logan pickup
  • 1996–present Fiat Strada
    Fiat Strada
    The Fiat Strada is a supermini coupé utility version of Fiat's "world car" project, the Palio. It is produced in Brazil and exported from Betim, Minas Gerais to the European Union.-History:...

  • 1960–present Ford Falcon
    Ford Falcon
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     Ute
  • 1990–present Holden Commodore/Ute
    Holden Ute
    The Holden Ute is a coupe utility built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors, since 2000. Before then, Holden had marketed their Commodore-based utility models under the Holden Utility and Holden Commodore utility names, although the term “Holden Ute” was also used in their...

  • 2002–present Proton Arena/Jumbuck
    Proton Arena
    The Proton Arena is a small front wheel drive coupé utility manufactured by Malaysian automaker Proton...

  • 1990–present Volkswagen Saveiro/Pointer

Prototypes

  • 1970s AMC Cowboy
    AMC Hornet
    The AMC Hornet was a compact automobile made by the American Motors Corporation in one generation beginning with the 1970 model year and continuing through the 1977 model year. The Hornet replaced the compact Rambler American marking the end of the Rambler marque in the American and Canadian markets...

    : Hornet-based coupe ute that never made it to production. Prototypes exist in private ownership.
  • 2008 Pontiac G8 ST: Essentially a rebadged Holden Ute, itself based on the Holden Commodore (which also served as the basis of the standard G8
    Pontiac G8
    The Pontiac G8 is a rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by Holden, the Australian General Motors subsidiary. The G8, a rebadged Holden Commodore, was released in early 2008 for the 2008 model year in the United States, and in 2008 for the 2009 model year in Canada. Production stopped in...

    ). At least one prototype was built, but GM decided not to move it to production because of the current global recession. It wasn't long after this that the Pontiac marque was discontinued, followed by the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy
    General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization
    The General Motors Chapter 11 sale of the assets of automobile manufacturer General Motors and some of its subsidiaries was implemented through section 363 of Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York...

    .
  • 2011 BMW M3 Pickup: Based on the E93 Convertible, this unique 3 Series
    BMW 3 Series
    The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...

    , featuring a structured aluminum pickup bed and removable targa roof
    Targa top
    Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....

    , was created by BMW
    BMW
    Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

    's M high-performance division
    BMW M
    BMW M GmbH is a subsidiary of German car manufacturer BMW AG.BMW M, also known as M-Technik or just "M" was initially created to facilitate BMW’s racing program, which was very successful in the 1960s and 1970s...

     as a one-off workshop transport vehicle for use within the company.

Disputed coupé utilities

The following vehicles share qualities of both small pickups and coupe utilities. Some have bodies like a pickup, but are built on a car chassis and/or based on an existing passenger car. Others look like coupe utilities, but are actually based on truck chassis. They are considered coupe utilities by some, and not by others. They are listed here along with a brief explanation of their respected disputes.
  • Chevrolet SSR
    Chevrolet SSR
    The Chevrolet SSR is a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006....

    : the body was like a coupe utility, with a folding hardtop, and it had the performance option of the Corvette's LS2
    GM LS engine
    The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...

     engine, but it was based on the GMT360
    GMT360
    The GMT 360 debuted in 2002 with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, and Oldsmobile Bravada, as the next generation S/T mid-size SUV's. While it replaced the GMT 330, it shared nothing with the older platform. It used hydroformed frame rails like the larger GMT 800, and was built for GM's Atlas...

     truck chassis, which means it is more of a sport pickup, like the Ford Lightning, Dodge Ram SRT-10, or the Chevy Xtreme.
  • Ford Bantam
    Ford Bantam
    The Ford Bantam is a "bakkie" sold by the Ford Motor Company in South Africa. It is based on the Ford Fiesta, and is a South African design as well as being produced in South Africa for the local market. The original Ford Bantam launched in 1983 was based on the Ford Escort Mk III...

    : the body style is more along the lines of a small pickup, but it is built on a car chassis.
  • Ford Falcon
    Ford Falcon (Australia)
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     utility (AU
    Ford AU Falcon
    The Ford AU Falcon and Fairmont are the first of the sixth generation series of the Ford Falcon, a full-size car produced by Ford Australia...

    FG
    Ford FG Falcon
    The Ford FG Falcon is a full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 2008. The FG series is the current model of the Ford Falcon and is the seventh generation of the car...

    )
    : since 1999, the Falcon utility has been fitted with a cargo bed separate from the cabin, yet still retains the Falcon sedan/wagon front-end including cabin. The cargo bed was separated so that both "utility" and "cab chassis" body styles could be utilized. However, like previous models (which are officially coupé utilities), the 1999 onwards models are still derived from the Falcon sedan and wagon range.
  • Honda Ridgeline
    Honda Ridgeline
    The Honda Ridgeline is a mid to full size sport utility truck produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. The Ridgeline was released in March 2005 as a 2006 model and is Honda's intended first foray into the North American pickup truck market. Until 2009, the Ridgeline was built in Alliston,...

    : By the strictest definition, the Ridgeline is a coupé utility in the sense that it's essentially based on a car chassis (a unibody design that shares many parts with various Honda passenger cars, like the Accord and Acura TL), is monocoque (like many modern coupé utilities), and has a bed. However, it's far too large and truck-like for most people to consider it a true coupé utility. It could, perhaps, be best described as a sport utility truck or "crossover truck" instead.
  • Chevrolet Avalanche
    Chevrolet Avalanche
    The Chevrolet Avalanche is a four-door, five or six passenger sport utility truck sharing GM's long-wheelbase chassis used on the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade EXT. Unlike the typical pickup truck, the open bed of the Avalanche opens to the back seat area through a folding panel and a...

    /Cadillac Escalade
    Cadillac Escalade
    The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury sport utility vehicle sold by the General Motors luxury brand, Cadillac. It was the division's first major entry into the popular SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to German and Japanese competitors and to Ford's...

    : Like the Ridgeline, a four-door with a short, integral pick-up bed. Truly a sport utility truck, built on the Chevrolet 1500 truck chassis.
  • Nissan 1400 LDV
    Nissan Sunny
    The Nissan Sunny is a small car from Nissan. It was launched in 1966 as the Datsun 1000 and although production in Japan ended in 2004, it remains in production today for the African, American and Sri Lankan markets. In the US, the later models were known as the Nissan Sentra; in Mexico, the Sunny...

    : similar to the Bantam, pickup-style body, car chassis.
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