Chery has chosen a distinctly Australian name for its first ute to reach local showrooms, yet the badge carries history from another ute sold here long ago.

While Chery prepares a diesel plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute to challenge the Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6, the original Suzuki Stockman was a compact utility built on the simple Sierra off-roader.

The Stockman name first appeared in 1979 on the LJ series of off-roaders sold in Australia as both utes and wagons. When the next generation arrived in 1981 as the Sierra, Suzuki kept the Stockman label exclusively for the ute variant.

Across both generations the Stockman remained under one tonne and was powered by a modest four-cylinder engine. Production for Australia ended in 2000, after which Suzuki withdrew from the local ute segment entirely.

"We are flattered to see the Stockman name return to public attention," said Suzuki Australia general manager of automobiles Michael Pachota.

"For many Australians the name Stockman has long been tied to Suzuki adventure and durability, securing its spot in local motoring history through the Sierra Stockman models of the 1980s and 1990s.

"Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery.

"We take pride in the legacy Suzuki created with the Stockman name and are pleased it still resonates enough to inspire others years later. Although others may use the name, its strongest connection in Australian automotive heritage will always remain with Suzuki."

Stockman was not the only name on Chery's shortlist that had prior use by another manufacturer. Longreach served as a trim on the Ford Falcon ute, while Terra denoted a Nissan Navara-based SUV offered overseas.

These suggestions formed part of more than 20,000 entries submitted during Chery's public naming contest.

Another finalist, Orca, represented a pointed reference to the BYD Shark 6 that the Chery Stockman will face in the market.

Chery sales in Australia rose 176.8 per cent during 2025 to reach 34,889 units and now sit in 13th place overall. Year-to-date figures show an 84.3 per cent increase to 20,459 units. Suzuki, by comparison, recorded a 27.7 per cent decline to 15,378 units, placing it 20th, with a further 22.0 per cent drop to 5452 units so far this year.

Although Suzuki does not contest every segment where Chery operates, its Vitara faces the Chery Tiggo 4. Last year the Tiggo 4 outsold the Vitara by roughly ten to one.

The Jimny remains Suzuki's strongest seller. Deliveries this year total 3193 units, ahead of the Swift hatch on 1282. Unlike its Sierra predecessor, however, no ute variant is offered.

The upcoming Stockman ute is expected to lift Chery volumes as the company targets a top-five market position by 2027. It will arrive first with a diesel PHEV powertrain, followed by a petrol PHEV variant in 2027.

Suzuki currently offers no conventional ute in any market, although pickup versions of its Carry cabover van are sold in Japan and occasionally appear as grey imports. Its previous attempt at a Ranger-sized pickup was the Equator, a rebadged Nissan Frontier sold in the United States between 2009 and 2012.