Chery has announced a distinctively Australian name for its first ute in Australia, nevertheless it’s been seen before on one other ute Down Under.
Unlike 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 on the easy Sierra off-roader.
The Stockman was available way back to 1979, with the nameplate applied to the range of LJ off-roaders – utes and wagons alike – within the Australian market. With the next generation in Australia, introduced in 1981 because the Sierra, the Stockman name was reserved for the ute body style.
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With either generation, the Stockman weighed under a tonne and used a small four-cylinder engine. Its last 12 months in our market was 2000, and Suzuki hasn’t offered a ute in Australia since.
“We’re flattered to see the Stockman name back within the headlines,” said Suzuki Australia’s general manager of automobiles, Michael Pachota.
“For a lot of Australians, Stockman is a reputation that has been synonymous with Suzuki adventure and capability for a long time, earning its place in Australian motoring folklore through the Sierra Stockman of the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.
“As they are saying, imitation is the sincerest type of flattery.
“We’re pleased with the heritage Suzuki built across the Stockman name and we’re delighted to see it stays memorable enough to encourage others all these years later. While others may adopt the name, its place in Australian automotive history will all the time be closely linked with Suzuki.”
Stockman wasn’t the one name on Chery’s shortlist of name submissions which had previously been utilized by one other brand. Longreach was a trim level on the Ford Falcon ute and Terra is the name of a Nissan Navara-based SUV sold overseas.
These were amongst a claimed 20,000-plus submissions to Chery for its ute-naming competition.
One other name shortlisted was Orca, a not-so-subtle dig on the BYD Shark 6 with which the Chery Stockman will compete.
Chery sales grew in Australia by 176.8 per cent in 2025 to 34,889 units – putting it in thirteenth position – and are up by 84.3 per cent year-to-date to twenty,459 units. In contrast, Suzuki’s sales were down 27.7 per cent to fifteen,378, putting it in twentieth position, and are down 22.0 per cent to 5452 units thus far this 12 months.
While Suzuki doesn’t compete in all the same segments that Chery does, its once-popular Vitara rivals the Chery Tiggo 4. Last 12 months, the Tiggo 4 outsold the Vitara by around 10 to 1.
The Jimny is by far Suzuki’s hottest model. Up to now this 12 months, the Japanese small-car brand has delivered 3193 examples, ahead of the second-placed Swift hatch with 1282. But unlike its Sierra ancestor, there is no ute version available.
The brand new Stockman ute could give Chery a major bump in volume, because it eyes a top-five spot within the Australian market by 2027. It’s arriving here first with a diesel PHEV powertrain, with a petroleum PHEV powertrain to follow in 2027.
Suzuki doesn’t have a standard ute in any market, though it offers pickup versions of its cabover kei-class business vehicle, the Carry, in markets resembling Japan, and these have grow to be popular grey imports to Australia. Its last attempt at a Ford Ranger rival was the Equator, a rebadged Nissan Frontier (Navara) sold within the US from 2009 to 2012.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
