 However, present-day usage of the term "ute" in Australia and New Zealand has expanded to include any vehicle with an open cargo area at the rear; which would be called a pickup truck in other countries.The Australian ute is claimed to have been invented by Ford in 1934; however, similar vehicles had been in production in the United States since the 1920s.Production of Australian designed utes ceased in 2017, when local production of the Holden Commodore finished.