Mazda had a
long-time partner when it to trucks and that was Ford. That partnership was
dissolved in 2013. But now, Mazda has a
new partner to help them release a new midsize pickup, and that is Isuzu.
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| Mazda BT-50 |
Now I sure
your thinking how Isuzu hasn’t been in the U.S. since 2009 when they left the
market. But their still around and their back in the midsize pickup game. The Mazda/Isuzu
collaboration will most likely take the place of the Mazda BT-50, the BT-50 was
co-developed with Ford of Australia and is the mechanical twin of the Ford
Ranger. The current generation of this truck, which is built in Thailand and in
South Africa, was introduced in late 2010 and updated last year.
For its
part, Mazda hasn’t sold a pickup in the United States since the days of the
B2000, which was a rebadged Ford Ranger (the American one). Prior to that,
Mazda had supplied Ford with its first compact pickup, which Dearborn badged as
the Courier, and also sold a similar small pickup under its own brand.
Does this
new collaboration mean that we’ll once again see Mazda (or Isuzu) pickups on
American soil? Sadly, no. In a statement announcing the partnership, Mazda said
that the vehicle, like the current BT-50, will be sold “worldwide, except [in]
North America.”
