Miners swoop on utes
MILLIONS of dollars worth of white utes line the once-empty lot beside Toowoomba Holden as mining companies swoop on a new, ultra-safe car model.
The James St block is brimming with brand new Holden Colorado utes which hit the market two months ago.
Toowoomba Holden assistant general manager Ross Crampton said the high demand had forced the business to buy twice as many of the cars as it normally would.
"We've delivered 70 Colorados in the past couple of months and currently have about 60 more in stock, including some we've already sold," he said.
"A lot of mining companies now require a five-star safety rating on their cars so we're hoping to take some of that market.
"It's such a good car that we've ordered double what we traditionally would, with sales volumes expected to increase quite considerably."
Mr Crampton said local businesses and rental companies had also driven the sales boost.
"We had a lot of pre-orders before the car arrived and then the new model was delayed in getting here for a few months," he said.
"Our yard is already full, so we're a bit swollen with cars at the moment."
