Subaru Australia has acknowledged that it could launch a new ute should enough local customers demand such a model. This could give local shoppers a smaller option to pickups like the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Nivara, and Mitsubishi Triton.
While the Japanese car manufacturer is best known for producing models like the Outback and Impreza, it sold a ute in Australia known as the Brumby (aka the BRAT in the U.S.) from 1978 to 1994. Demand for smaller pickups has jumped on the back of demand for vehicles like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz in the U.S. and Subaru’s model could serve as an alternative to these.
While recently speaking with Cars Guide during the launch of the new Outback, Subaru Australia managing director Blair Read acknowledged that he was aware of demand for a new-age Brumby.
Read: We Envision A Small Pickup From Subaru To Rival The Ford Maverick And Hyundai Santa Cruz
“It would be great,” he said. “We heard the feedback on Outback. We heard the demand from the public and the Subaru buyers saying they wanted a turbo Outback. Tick! It’s here. So we’re listening, we’re watching, we read the comments, we go to the forums, we see what customers are looking for and… it would be great.”
Given that both the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick use the underpinnings of pre-existing SUVs, Subaru could do the same thing with a new Brumby, basing it around the Subaru Global Platform used by models including the Impreza, Forester, and Outback. And, given that neither the Maverick nor Santa Cruz are sold Down Under, Subaru could have the market to itself.
“We are always listening,” Read added. “We always listen to the customer. It’s not: what do we think? It’s: what is the customer saying – what are they looking for? We hear the [Brumby] question all the time and it has been a while – we get asked all the time. We go around Australia and we get asked – and we’re listening.”
