Compared with other types of pickup trucks in the 1930s, the term coupe utility (or coupé utility) was defined as combining a more stylish, comfortable and roomier coupe roofline with an integrated cargo tray, however since the 1950s the definition of the term has become blurred. More recent models are often called "pickups" (or pick-ups) by their makers.
The body style originated in Australia. It was the result of a 1932 letter from the wife of a farmer in Victoria, Australia to Ford Australia asking for "a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays". In response, Ford designer Lew Bandt developed a vehicle based on the client's request and the model (called a "coupe utility" at the time) was released in 1934. A convertible version, known as the roadster utility, was produced in limited numbers by Ford in the 1930s.
In 1951, Holden released a model based on its 48-215 sedan, reinforcing the Australian tradition of home grown two-door passenger-car sedan chassis based "utility" vehicles with a tray at the back, known colloquially as a ute. In recent years, however, ute in Australia has come to mean, incorrectly - by some uneducated people, anything from a coupe utility such as a Commodore-based Holden Ute to a traditional pickup like the Ford F-Series, so for the purposes of this article, the full term "coupe utility" shall be used.
America followed suit with the release of Ford's Ranchero in 1957 and Chevrolet's El Camino in 1959.
1949–1952 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley 18 Utility Coupé
1949–1952 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley 18 Station Coupé (extended cab with a rear seat)
1968–1971 Austin 1800 Utility (Australia)
1954–1971 Austin Cambridge Coupe Utility
1983–1994 Chevrolet Chevy 500 (Brazil)
1959–1960, 1964–1987 Chevrolet El Camino
2001–present Chevrolet Montana
1946–1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster (Australia only)
1965–1977 Chrysler Valiant utility/Dodge utility (Australia)
1958–1961 Chrysler Wayfarer (Australia)
1953-1979 Citroën 2CV "Citroneta" (South America only)
2007–2012 Dacia Logan Pick-Up
1975–2006 Dacia Pick-Up
1991–1995 Daihatsu Mira P1/Miracab
1956–1957 DeSoto Diplomat (Australia)
1975–1979 Dodge Husky (South Africa)
1956–1957 Dodge Kingsway (Australia)
1982–1984 Dodge Rampage
1977–2013 Fiat Fiorino
1996–present Fiat Strada
1941–1949 1941 Ford (Australia only)
1949–1951 1949 Ford (Australia only)
1946–1953 Ford Anglia Coupe Utility (Australia)
1983–2011 Ford Bantam (South Africa)
1956–1962 Ford Consul Mk.II (Australia only)
1998–present Ford Courier (Brazil)
1981–1982 Ford Durango
1961–2016 Ford Falcon Ute (Australia)
1973–1991 Ford Falcon Ranchero (Argentina)
1952–1959 Ford Mainline Utility (Australia only)
1971–1993 Ford P100
1982–1997 Ford Pampa (Brazil)
1953–1955 Ford Popular 103E (Australia)
1946–1953 Ford Prefect (Australia only)
1957–1959 Ford Ranchero (full-size)
1960–1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero (Falcon compact)
1966–1979 Ford Ranchero (mid-size)
1956–1962 Ford Zephyr Mark II Coupe Utility (Australia only)
c. 1956 Hillman de luxe Utility
2004–present Geely Rural Nanny
1971–1987 GMC Sprint / Caballero (GMC rebadge of the El Camino)
1968–1984 Holden Kingswood
1951–1968 Holden Utility
1990–present Holden Utility / Holden Ute / Holden Commodore Ute (VG to VF)
1975–1990 Hyundai Pony
1963–1972 Isuzu Wasp
1973–1981 Kia Brisa pickup (rebadged Mazda Familia pickup)
1963–1977 Mazda Familia pickup
1989–2002 Mazda Rustler (rebadged 2nd generation Ford Bantam)
1961–1983 Mini Pick-up
1965–1971 Mitsubishi Colt 800
1971–1980 Morris Marina pickup
2008-present Nissan NP200 (rebadged Dacia Logan Pick-Up, built and sold in South Africa)
1971–2008 Nissan Sunny Truck/"Bakkie"
1993–2010 Opel Corsa pickup/Utility
1967–2005 Paykan Pick-Up (Iran)
1955–1966 Peugeot 403
1968–2009 Peugeot 504
1956–1957 Plymouth Cranbrook (Australia only)
1983 Plymouth Scamp
2002–2010 Proton Arena / Proton Jumbuck
2015–present Ram 700 (Mexico-exclusive rebadged version of the Fiat Strada)
1975–1985 Simca 1100
c. 1952 Singer SM1500
1991–1995 Škoda Pick-up
1994–2001 Škoda Felicia Pickup/Fun
1950–1964 Standard Vanguard (also sold as "Standard Pick-up Truck")
1937–1939 Studebaker Coupe Express
2002–2006 Subaru Baja
1978–1993 Subaru BRAT/Brumby/Shifter/MV/Targa
1983–1988 Suzuki Mighty Boy
2000–2001 Toyota bB Open Deck
1960–1969 Toyota Corona Pickup
1962–1971 Toyopet/Toyota Crown Masterline pickup
1952–1957 Vauxhall Velox
1952–1954 Vauxhall Wyvern (Australia)
1979–1996 Volkswagen Caddy/Rabbit pickup
1996–2001 Volkswagen Caddy Typ 9U (rebadged Škoda Felicia Pickup)
1980–present Volkswagen Saveiro/Pointer Pick Up
1966–1991 Wartburg 353 "Trans"
AMC Cowboy: Derived from the Hornet, it was intended to compete with small pickups from Japan, but the project was canceled after AMC acquired Jeep, which already sold small pickups.
BMW M3 ute/pickup: On April Fools' Day 2011, BMW announced the BMW M3 ute/pickup. This vehicle was based on the E93 Convertible and featured a structured aluminum pickup bed and removable targa roof. It was created by BMW's M Division as a one-off workshop transport vehicle for use within the company. It was actually the second such ute that BMW built for this purpose: they had previously built one using a first generation M3 convertible in 1986. This coupe ute served the factory for 26 years before the April Fools car was built to replace it.
Pontiac G8 ST: a rebadged Holden Ute (which is based on the Holden Commodore sedan, which is badged as a Pontiac G8 in the USA) which was shown at the New York International Auto Show in March 2008. It was slated for release as a 2010 model, but was cancelled before any were sold.
