By Nick Tsagaris: There was a time when utes were no-frills workhorses that tradies could hose out at the end of a long day. These days they are fully loaded work-and-play things that usually cost an arm and a leg.

Thousands of Australians happily pay $60,000 or more for a ute, while many dig even deeper, ponying up $85,000 or more for a Ford Ranger Raptor or high-end Volkswagen Amarok.

But Chinese maker LDV reckons there are plenty of folk who would rather pay half that for a broadly similar machine and pocket the difference.

Written or Lyrics By Nick Tsagaris Mcdonalds