The Changing Face of Ute Buyers

Ella Gorton with the new Ford Ranger Super Duty at the Wanaka A&P Show. Photo Claire Inkson

With fuel prices climbing and global uncertainty starting to filter through to everyday decisions, the conversation around what people drive is shifting again.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid - buyers are weighing it all up.

At Macaulay Motors in Queenstown, Ella Gorton is having those conversations daily.

There is interest in plug-in hybrids, she says, but for many South Island drivers - particularly those clocking up kilometres or working rural - it is not always the straightforward answer people expect.

“If it’s more of an around-town car, a plug-in hybrid can definitely be beneficial,” she says.

“But if you’re doing a lot of open-road driving, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have cheaper costs.”

It comes down to how people actually use their vehicles.

“At the moment you really need to over-qualify and ask, what does your daily or weekly road trip look like?”

That practical thinking is something Gorton sees consistently, particularly among rural buyers.

“They are more purpose-driven. They want something reliable, something durable, good towing, something that’s going to last.”

Hybrid conversations are happening, she says, but cautiously.

“I feel like Central Otago, whether rural or farmers, they wouldn’t necessarily jump into it, but they’re willing to talk about it more.

“I still think deep down south there’s not much sway.”

And pushing people toward something that does not fit is not how she works.

“You listen to what they have to say and then you offer the options. If they’re not interested and they don’t like it, you don’t push it.

 “Every deal, every person’s different.”

Not your typical sales floor

 Walk onto most dealership forecourts and the picture is still pretty familiar - utes lined up, and mostly men selling them.

Gorton is part of a small but growing number of women changing that.

She has been at Macaulay Motors for a year, but in the automotive industry since 2018, working across customer relations, parts, service, marketing and finance before stepping into her current sales and finance role.

It has given her a broad understanding of how the industry works - and how people move through it.

And while things are improving, she says there can still be assumptions.

“Some customers still initially carry an expectation about who they’re going to deal with before they even come into the dealership,” she says.

“But that’s definitely dwindled.”

For her, the shift often happens quickly.

“The moment I can show that I know those technical details and answer their questions, that changes.

“They know they’re in safe hands.”

Earlier in her career, there was more of a sense of needing to prove herself.

“You do have to put the groundwork in. You have to have a backbone to do it.

“But I feel like I’m well and truly at the point now where people know what I’m capable of.”

A different way of selling

Where Gorton does see a difference is in how customers are treated - particularly when couples walk through the door.

“You get a lot of feedback from women saying it’s nice to actually be included in the conversation,” she says.

“They’ve had experiences where it’s just been directed at the husband, even though they’re part of that decision as well.”

 Her approach is built around that.

“When I think about what I bring to the table, it’s personalization and empathy,” she says.

“Putting myself in their shoes, remembering names, understanding how they live — it just makes it a better experience.”

It is also less about pushing and more about guiding.

“I want people to feel comfortable. I would never say, ‘This is the vehicle you need to buy.’

“It’s about helping them come to that decision themselves.”

That matters in a world where people are constantly being sold to.

“Once you’ve got that trust, it becomes more than just a transaction,” she says.

“They come back, they call you, they send their friends to you. That’s what you want.”

Why women are buying utes – especially Ford Rangers

That shift in approach is happening alongside a bigger change - who is buying utes, and why.

“They’ve come a long way,” Gorton says.

“Older utes were built more for farming and utility. Now the safety features in the new Ford Rangers are next level, the tech is better, they’re smoother to drive.”

They are no longer just work vehicles.

“You’ve got people who need them for practicality, but then you’ve got people buying them for lifestyle - road trips, towing boats, just everyday use.”

And more women are behind those decisions.

“Absolutely. We are definitely seeing more women buying them.”

Not all of them are heading off-road.

“I sold a Ranger recently to a lady who had always had Range Rovers. She’s not going off-road - she’s driving around town and doing trips to Dunedin.

“That’s why she bought it.”

Comfort, safety and visibility are all part of that.

 “A lot of people like being higher up off the ground. And then you’ve got things like the tech, the safety features : all of that plays a part.”

It is a shift away from utes being purely about work.

“It’s not just for utility purposes anymore.”

Rangers still built for the job

For rural buyers, though, the fundamentals have not changed.

“They are still very practical,” she says.

“Towing capacity is a big one. Storage, durability, something that’s going to hold up.”

That is part of why the Ford Ranger continues to dominate.

“They’ve set the standard for what a ute should be,” she says.

“They’ve still got that reliability and versatility, but now they drive like cars.

“The old ones drove like tractors. These don’t.”

 Finding your place

For Gorton, the role is about more than selling vehicles.

It is about building something of her own within the industry.

“Yes, I work for Macaulay Motors,” she says, “but it’s also about me putting my mark on the community and within the dealership.”

And for other women considering the industry, her advice is simple.

“Just give it a go. We need more of us in this industry.

“If you’re a people person and you can communicate well, you can learn the rest on the job.

“No question is ever a silly question. You just have to be willing to learn and have the confidence to back yourself.”