Isuzu limits Bluetooth offer

The $39,400 Arctic Pearl D-Max crew cab adds Bluetooth among the $5700 worth of extras over the standard D-Max LS 4x2 and LS-U 4x4 crew utes on which it is based (for a price rise of $3000).

But despite Isuzu sponsoring national road safety initiative Fatality Free Friday with two signwritten utes, the company has baulked at providing the safety of Bluetooth as standard across the fleet.

Faality Free spokesman Gary Rig says using any phone in a car is dangerous and should be banned. "However, Bluetooth would be a step in the right direction," he says.

Isuzu Ute Australia marketing general manager Richard Power said making Bluetooth standard is a cost issue. "The Arctic Pearl limited edition ute is the first with standard fitting and we will review it," he says.

Apart from the pearlescent paint, the Arctic Pearl D-Max includes flared wheel arch, lockable hard tonneau cover, badging, chrome sports bar with LED brake lights, and more chrome on the bonnet, front and rear. Inside is the Bluetooth connectivity, monogrammed carpet mats and a heavy rubber mat on the tub floor.

Isuzu CEO Hitoshi Kono says Isuzu Ute Australia is the smallest and youngest branch of the company, having started from scratch on October 10 last year. "We built a small boat and sailed into a storm but we survived the most difficult time in the whole century; not only survived but the numbers — while not really big — are gradually increasing," he said. "In the first month we sold 50 which was a humble start. "But we have no intention of staying a small player. Our expectations are of skyrocketing high."

He expects to exceed their target of 2900 sales this year by about 200. "Next year we are targeting 5000 but we think we will do better than that," Vuko said. "This is not some artificial numner. It is achievable."

Sales and dealer operations general manager Paul Vuko said D-Max had sold 339 in September which was even higher than June which was a peak month for the industry. "We started with 0.5 per cent (one-tonne ute) market share and peaked at 4.2 per cent in August and now have 3.7 per cent," he said.

The one-tonne ute market is biggest in Queensland with 30.2 per cent of the market, followed by NSW (26.4 per cent), Victoria (19.4), Western Australia (12.5), South Australia (6.2), Tasmania (2.7), Northern Territory (1.6) and ACT (1.1).

Isuzu started with 38 dealers nationally and now has 62 dealers with seven approved satellite outlets (ASO). Vuko says they expect to boost that next year to 70 dealers and 20 ASOs, adding five of each over the following two years. "We are limiting the number of dealers so we allow them to make a decent profit," he said.

Queensland has 14 dealers, NSW 17, Victoria 11 and Western Austalia 11, South Australia four, Tasmania three, NT two and ACT one. "We only have two dealers in Sydney and we are looking at six. That is a market we could really improve," Vuko says.

D-Max private sales represent 65 per cent of their business, while fleet was 34 per cent and government 2 per cent. However, the one-tonne ute market has 71 per cent fleet sales, 21 per cent private and 9 per cent government. "So there is a lot of potential in fleet sales for us," Vuko says.

D-Max is fourth highest in the private one-tonne ute market behind HiLux, Mazda BT-50 and Holden Colorado. The high percentage of private buyers is also reflected in the high average amount customers spend on accessories.

Kono says the average spend on accessories is about $3200. "Nowhere else in the world does the customer spend as much on accessories as in Australia," he says.