Underlying the importance of the Australian International Motor Show, Mazda’s Global President, Mr Takashi Yamanouchi, flew-in to stage the global reveal of the all-new BT50 ute.
Production of the new Mazda BT50 does not commence at its Thailand manufacturing plant until mid next year, and Australian launch is not scheduled until some time later, so the motor show preview was just a look at the vehicle.
And visually, the all-new Mazda BT50 is a real head-turner – certainly taking the ute beyond the somewhat boxy look of the current BT50.
Ryo Yanigisawa, Mazda’s head designer for the BT50 (he also worked on the stylish CX-9 SUV) was also in Sydney for the reveal and he summed-up his new ute as: “ a Sophisticated Beast”.
Mr Yanigisawa said the current BT50’s conservative looks no longer fit with Mazda’s ‘Zoom-Zoom’ philosophy and so the new model had to deliver the architectural innovation for which Mazda has been praised with vehicles like the Mazda2, Mazda6 and CX-9.
‘Sophisticated Beast’ is not an exaggeration for the all-new Mazda BT50 - Mazda says the newcomer is considerably larger in every dimension than its predecessor and in the metal it looks it – a sturdy on-road presence appreciated by ute buyers. There is a distinct wedge shape, lots of curves, a bold feature line running from the front fenders (Mazda’s ‘dominant, prominent fenders’ - reminiscent of the CX-9), large ‘boomerang-shaped’ headlights and – unusual for a ute – horizontal tail-lights.
The theme continues inside. Mr Yanigisawa said the current BT50’s interior was deemed to be too truck-like and the new model had to be sophisticated, cutting-edge-modern and sporty.
Door trims and the centre console feature bold metallic strips, the instruments are housed in recessed cylinders and the driver/front passenger compartments are asymmetrical like the CX-9.
For Mazda Australia, that ‘sophisticated and sporty’ theme is crucial as locally the company does not compete in the base model single-cab ute segment and has no plans to do so with the all-new model.
According to Mazda Australia’s Managing Director, Doug Dickson, the new BT50 will appeal to a younger audience – mostly 30-49 year old males. However they will probably have families – hence the requirement for a four-door crew cab with interior appointments matching passenger cars.
Naturally so far from launch, Mazda was reluctant to go into too much detail regarding exact specifications and pricing for the all-new BT50, but the company did confirm that powertrains would remain exclusively diesel.
Success of the all-new BT50 is vital for Mazda in Australia. During the last four years, the Australian new car market has grown overall by four per cent, but the ute segment has outstripped that figure, achieving growth of 14 per cent.
