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2021 Mazda BT-50 due October: What Isuzu D-Max means for its twin under the skin

The 2021 Mazda BT-50 is due to arrive in Australian showrooms in October, however not all models will be available from launch.


Mazda dealers have told Drive there will initially be three model grades of the 2021 Mazda BT-50 double cab: XT, XTR and GT, the same as the outgoing model.

They will be followed by the two-door “space cab” BT-50 models – which Mazda calls “Freestyle” – in December 2020 or January 2021.

And the single-cab entry level versions of the new Mazda BT-50 are not due in Australian showrooms until February or March 2021, based on timing provided to dealers.

Pricing and specification for the 2021 Mazda BT-50 is yet to be announced, however details released this week for the Isuzu D-Max provide a clue as to what’s coming.

 

Drive

The Mazda BT-50 will be based on the new Isuzu D-Max after Mazda’s 48-year partnership with Ford comes to an end.

While details are yet to be confirmed, the Mazda BT-50 will need to match the Isuzu D-Max with the full suite of advanced safety technology on some or all models.

Isuzu shocked the industry this week after it announced every single model in the 2021 D-max range – including the basic “traffic controller” tradie version – will come with the complete advanced safety package, including perimeter sensing technology and a centre airbag (a first for the ute class).

As Drive reported earlier, the 2021 Mazda BT-50 will have a completely new body and a revised interior, even though it shares it engine, underpinnings and core body structure with the Isuzu D-Max.

 

Drive

The styling of the BT-50 has been designed to bring it into line with the rest of the Mazda range.

When asked why a customer would choose the Isuzu D-Max over the otherwise identical Mazda BT-50, Isuzu Ute Australia general manager of sales, Ben Jaeger, said: “I guess at the end of the day, it’s the elephant in the room, isn’t it? But the reality is that we’ve got two very different brands and two very different brand propositions.”

Mr Jaeger said Mazda and Isuzu “appeal to two very different customer bases”. 

“We’ve earned our stripes in the commercial space,” he said. “We also feel as though our (dealer) network provides us a real strength, especially in coverage around the country. While we really value or private and (small business) customers … we are also experienced with large fleets. We’re quite rounded in what we can offer a variety of customers.”

Drive
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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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