Mazda unveils all-new BT-50 pickup truck

MANILA: Mazda Motor Corporation hosted the global launch of the all-new and fully redesigned BT-50 pickup truck in Australia on Wednesday and will release it as a 2020 model.

Compared to its predecessors which were based on the Ford Ranger, the third-generation BT-50 is actually an D-Max underneath and is built in the Isuzu Motors plant in Samrong, Samut Prakan, Thailand. This collaboration is based on an agreement between the two brands that was announced in 2016.

Mazda created the body panels that lay over the D-Max base structure, body shell, and wing mirrors but under the hood is an Isuzu 3.0L 4JJ3-TCX inline-four turbodiesel engine. Gearbox options are a six-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission.

The exterior will finally reflect the Kodo design philosophy that’s been realized on various sedans, crossovers, and SUVs of the brand, and is even in its second iteration already as seen on the Mazda 3.

It will feature adaptive cruise control (using twin cameras instead of radar) for the first time and may be one of the first vehicles in Australia to have a center airbag between the front seats (only in higher trims).

Full specifications have not been released by Mazda.

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Photos courtesy of Mazda Motors Corporation