Some cars are icons by their very definition. When someone thinks about muscle cars they big names like the Chevrolet Corvette, the Shelby Cobra, the Ford Mustang come to mind. Other cars become icons thanks to their aesthetic like the Volkswagen Beetle. The UTE / Utility Coupé is one of those vehicles. There have been a few different variants from different brands that built UTEs such as the Ford Ranchero, Dodge Kingsway, and the Chevrolet El Camino. These car-truck hybrids take the body of a popular station wagon or sedan and lop out the back seat and trunk in favor of a flatbed.
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During its lifespan in North America, the Chevy El Camino varied a lot in popularity—but it was just way ahead of its time for the North American market. The UTE style of car or small truck—whatever you wish to call it—has been massively popular in Australia where the style originated in the 1950s. The fifth and final generation of El Caminos were available in North America from 1978 to 1987. The car faded into obscurity until the year 2000 when a new generation of car enthusiasts saw a black 1967 El Camino in That 70's Show. Since then, 1990s kids and fans of this type of car have been clamoring for it to return from the dead. This could have actually happened if GM chose to not kill off their Pontiac brand shortly after the G8 ST concept was revealed at the New York International Auto Show in 2008.
This could have sparked the return of the UTE to North American streets, but it didn't and it seems at this point in time, GM has no intention of attempting the experiment—but now might actually be the right time. With the trend in the market going more and more towards minivans, SUVs, and small trucks, UTEs would be great vehicles to add to one's portfolio as it can be sportier than most SUVs. Holden even had sports options like the Maloo which featured a big beefy V8 engine and was tuned towards performance.
It's not just the performance end of things that make these car-truck hybrids attractive though, they're also very practical. In the fact, they can behave like a truck when needed. What's one of the biggest problems with trucks like the GMC Sierra 1500, Dodge Ram, Ford F-150? They're all big boats that are hard to park. If people want some of the performance of a truck, this would be a great way to also take bigger vehicles off of congested roads since they pretty much are the same size as a sedan or station wagon so they can fit into tighter parking spots more easily.
Another benefit of adding a UTE to either Dodge, Ford, or GMs portfolio now is that they can just use existing vehicles as the platform on which to build them. The Camaro could be used for the El Camino, the Mustang could be used for the Ranchero, and either the Challenger or Charger could be used for the Kingsway—given the fact that the UTEs came out originally when muscle cars were the all the rage. In fact, the El Camino was originally based off of the Chevy Chevelle.
So while the UTE may have been dead for a long time in North America, it remains ever-popular in its homeland of Australia, they're about the size of a normal car and handle like one. With some sporty packages they'd appeal to the sports car enthusiast, and in their base state, they are nice utilitarian vehicles that may look attractive to potential SUV buyers if they don't require the additional seats. Overall, these cars are highly practical and overlooked, and if a company decides they want to try it, it could pay big for them in the future.