Mazda Oz to shape next BT-50 design

Mazda Australia has confirmed it has had considerable input in the design of the facelifted BT-50 ute due this year, following lacklustre sales of the current model.

Against a broader backdrop of flourishing ute sales, the BT-50 has underperformed in the Australian market – a result partly attributed to its polarising appearance.

Mazda Australia's marketing director Alistair Doak confirmed this week that the facelifted model due in the second half of the year would have input from local stakeholders before production commenced in Thailand.

"Mazda in Australia has been very involved in the design of the updated model," he said. "We're one of the most successful markets for BT-50, so it makes sense in many ways."

However, the local arm's involvement in design isn't anything new, with Doak confirming the current version was designed mostly out of Melbourne during a joint collaboration between Ford and Mazda.

"Mazda Australia is very lucky because of the brand strength and our market share. We always get asked 'does this work in Australia?'," he said.

"The current BT-50 was designed in Australia, too. Ryo Yanagisawa designed it from Broadmeadows, he lived in Australia for two years.

"We did market research in Australia in Brisbane, we had two front end designs and the one you see on the current car was the design that won."

Mazda boss Martin Benders admitted back in August that the BT-50's slow sales could be partly put down to its design.

Doak, who has seen the facelifted model, said it would embrace subtle elements of Mazda's ubiquitous Kodo design language inside and out.

"We always knew the design was a bit out there for the traditional buyer," he said.

"The facelift will pick up some Kodo design language. We've moved on from the old model, the company has moved on and the design language is now Kodo.

"We'll pick as much of that as we can on BT. Is it because the current BT is wrong or we're not happy with it – absolutely not. It's just that time moves on, the car needs to move on and we'll pick up Kodo."