The Toyota HiLux posted its strongest March result of all time last month, as it got a head-start on its run to becoming the nation’s favourite vehicle for a sixth year in a row. The strong ute result comes as sales of Light Commercial Vehicles (the industry term for utes and vans) outsold traditional passenger cars for the first time in Australian automotive history, in March 2021, with 23,255 LCVs reported as sold (up 28 per cent compared to the same month last year) versus 21,360 passenger cars (down 1...
The Australian new-car market is a crowded one, with dozens of manufacturers offering hundreds of models in different segments and body styles. Over 100 all-new, updated or expanded model ranges are due to launch throughout 2021, as chronicled in CarAdvice's 2021 New Car Calendar – but what's there to look forward to this month? Here's a look at every new vehicle launching in Australia in April 2021...
2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder pricing and specification Flagship dual-cab adds $13,000 worth of off-road accessories 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre engine, leather seats, tech carried over from top-spec GT Priced from $65,990 drive-away – $9000 more than the GT The 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder has been announced for Australia as a tough flagship for the Japanese brand's new-generation dual-cab ute...
The Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 ute twins under the skin continued their strong run of sales in February, according to the most recent VFACTS sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Isuzu reported 1765 examples of its D-Max as sold over the month, comprising 485 rear-wheel drive 4x2 models and 1280 four-wheel-drive variants...
Mazda Australia has recalled 130 examples of the 2020 Mazda BT-50 TF ute (MY20) as the rear seatbelt may have been installed incorrectly. The recall notice, lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says the pretensioner mechanism in the BT-50 could malfunction in the event of an accident, increasing the risk of injury to passengers...
The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain ute just got more expensive as of 1 January 2021, with the price increasing by $1000 to $59,990 drive-away. Isuzu says it will honour customer orders placed at the original launch offer price of $58,990 drive-away, however new buyers who walk into a showroom from now on will be quoted the higher price of $59,990 drive-away (not including metallic paint, which adds $500)...
The waiting time for a new Isuzu D-Max ute is about to get longer, with production “suspended” for the next three months after a parts supplier was shut down in Europe due to COVID-19 – and its twin under the skin, the Mazda BT-50, is also likely to be affected. Although the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 utes are made on the same production line in Thailand, parts for the jointly-developed vehicles are sourced globally...
2021 Mazda BT-50 gets XT-grade only for single and Freestyle cab Cab-chassis configuration across the range ANCAP 5-star safety retained Priced from $36,550 plus on-road costs The missing single cab and extra cab variants of the 2021 Mazda BT-50 have been announced, with Mazda taking a strictly work-focussed approach to the new additions...
The Mazda BT-50 has been awarded a five-star safety rating, making it one of the safest utes on sale in Australia alongside its twin under the skin, the Isuzu D-Max. However, testing by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) – which compares crash safety, collision avoidance technology, and likely injuries to pedestrians and cyclists – found the Mazda BT-50’s bold nose marked it down slightly compared to the Isuzu D-Max...
Never ask a parent who their favourite child is – doubly so when it's twins. Of course, the crowd in the CarAdvice content team could never cower before such tough questions, so here it is: of the new-generation 2021 Isuzu D-Max and 2021 Mazda BT-50 twins, which would our team James Ward – Director of Content D-Max – the black contrast elements on the X-Terrain look much tougher than the chrome on the Mazda, and for mine, that's a big part of a ute's appeal...
With the 'Isuzda' alliance up and running, now that both the 2021 Isuzu D-Max and 2021 Mazda BT-50 ranges have hit Australian showrooms, what else can we expect from the Isuzu-Mazda partnership? Well, we don't know for sure. The recent discovery of a series of MU-X patent images paints a clear picture of what Isuzu has in store for its seven-seat SUV range...
