Brothers apart

The days of the Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger sharing their underpinnings are coming to an end, signalling the end of the long, drawn out separation of Mazda and Ford once and for all. The Japanese company has announced that it will be teaming up with Isuzu for its next ute. The very short statement only confirmed the deal and gave no details of the vehicle itself. The tie-up is described as a manufacturer ‘‘supply agreement’’ rather than a partnership, so it is unclear how much influence Mazda will have over the design and engineering of the car, if any. It also specifies that the deal is for the entire world, apart from the US.