Thailand's ute fetish

While Australia may have invented the ute, Thailand is without a doubt the dual-cab capital of the world.

From the Toyota HiLux to the Ford Ranger, the majority of pick-ups are Thai-built and sell locally in big numbers. In fact, almost 50 per cent of all Thai new car sales are made up of utes.

So, it’s no surprise their roads are filled with Isuzu D-Maxs, Chevy Colorados, Mitsubishi Tritons and their SUV cousins.

Thai people also tend to modify these cars, which range from slamming them, whacking on aftermarkets rims and adding large canopies.

There’s also a scene for modifying small hatchbacks, so it isn’t unusual to see a Honda Jazz or Mazda 3 driving around with a cannon exhaust bigger than a newborn baby.

Other than utes, there’s also a handful of Mercedes and BMW sedans, but that’s unimportant, we’re here for the weird stuff.

Flooding the streets of Bangkok is the infamous Tuk Tuk, massive numbers of them buzzing through the traffic like a swarm of angry bees.

Something else you wouldn’t see in Australia is a Nissan Puslar… panel van. Called the NV Wingroad, it was built locally and offered in several body styles including, you guessed it, a dual cab ute.

All variants were powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing 70kW.

Other unexpected sights were an S60 Toyota Crown, and a Nissan President limousine.

What’s the weirdest car you’ve seen in Thailand? Let us know in the comments.