MAZDA AND ISUZU PARTNERING ON NEW MIDSIZED PICKUP

The story of the Mazda B-Series pickup is a turbulent one, a roller coaster affair full of successes and failures. Here in North America, the story ended in failure as the B-Series was a weakly-disguised Ford Ranger that got the axe when Ford decided not to build the mid-size pickup for the North American market back in 2012. Overseas, the Mazda lives on as the BT50, still based off the Ranger, but a much more unique vehicle. However, that relationship is coming to an end, and Mazda has cut ties with Ford for their next generation pickup.

They have, however, found comfort in the embrace of Isuzu, a company they have partnered with in the past to produce commercial vehicles. The two Japanese-based companies will collaborate once again on the next generation mid-size pickup, but that is all the information we have at this time. The question is, with Mazda freeing up some of its ties with Ford, and Isuzu still selling commercial vehicles here in Canada, is there a chance we could get another competitor in the mid-size pickup market with either an Isuzu or Mazda badge on the front grille? Despite the likelihood of Ford bringing back the Ranger, it’s not looking so good for the Mazda at this time, however we’ll keep a close eye on them for any hints of a return of the B-Series.