New BT-50 to be revealed
Afresh report out of Australia suggests the new Mazda BT-50 will be revealed next month, quite some time earlier than initially expected.
According to CarExpert. com.au’s ‘dealer sources’, the Japanese automaker will whip the covers off its next-generation bakkie as early as next month.
While the outgoing BT-50 shared much with the Ford Ranger, the next-generation model will be based on Isuzu’s new D-Max (the latter is scheduled to start rolling off the Port Elizabeth assembly line only in the second half of next year, although production in Thailand has already started.
A report in April suggested the new BT-50 would share the latest D-Max’s updated 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, which boasts peak outputs of 140kW and 450Nm.
Expect sixspeed manual and automatic transmissions to carry over.
The new BT-50 is also set to gain the latest D-Max’s rear diff-lock, along with that model’s infotainment system (rather than Mazda’s own MZD-Connect arrangement).
The latter will feature Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto functionality, while the steering column will finally gain adjustment for reach (in addition to rake).
Late last year an Isuzu official said Mazda had no input into the development of the new D-Max, suggesting Mazda was responsible only for styling its version of the bakkie.