After what seemed to be a very long wait (it was launched globally last year), Mazda Philippines is finally launching its all-new 2022 BT-50 pickup truck this November 17.
The first full on redesign for the BT-50 in almost a decade, the all-new model also marks a transition in technical partners for Mazda’s pickup truck. Breaking off their long-time partnership with Ford, the all-new truck is now done in collaboration with Isuzu.
Mazda’s exclusive Philippine distributor, Bermaz Auto Philippines, has kept quiet as to the mechanical details of the all-new BT-50, but regardless of variant, it does graft the KODO Design language successfully onto a pickup truck. In Thailand, where the BT-50 is being manufactured, it has features such as LED projector headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Under the hood, the BT-50 has two powertrain choices for global markets. Shared with the D-MAX, the 3.0-liter turbo diesel packs 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, while a 1.9-liter turbo diesel generates 150 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. Transmission choices, regardless of engine are a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. When coupled with the 3.0-liter engine, the BT-50 has a payload in excess of 1,000 kilograms, while towing capacity is set at 3,500 kilograms. Water wading capability is set at 800 mm.
Inside, the BT-50 differentiates itself from its Isuzu base with a classier-looking dashboard and door trims finished in two-tone black and brown. The seats use low-rebound MDI polyurethane material for the seats to reduce fatigue during long drives. And if the specs are the same as Thailand’s, it will get a 9-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It will also benefit from the D-MAX’s ceiling-mounted Live Surround Sound speaker system.
In Thailand, the BT-50 also leads in terms of safety with a full suite of airbags, ABS with EBD, stability control, and on higher-trim variants, advanced blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, and ADAS or Advanced Driver Assist System. Using a pair of stereoscopic cameras, it gives functions such as autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control.
Knowing Mazda’s premium positioning, it’s likely that the Philippine market BT-50 will be priced higher than its D-MAX counterparts. The BT-50 though will benefit from Mazda’s comprehensive 5-year free service plan (on top of a 3-year warranty). For reference, the D-MAX starts at P 987,000 for the bare bones LT variant and goes all the way to P 1,825,000 for the top-of-the-line 4x4 LS-E. It’s likely that Mazda will position themselves in the P 1.3 million to P 1.8 million price bracket, forgoing fleet variants.
Are you excited for the all-new BT-50?
Mazda motor currently always positioned and portrayed it's product as Japanese premium carmaker which unfortunately not to the eyes of the Consumers. They should Price it's vehicles at a competitive level with the Toyota's, Nissan's and Mitsubishi Trucks in order to be more affordable and saleable to the market.
ReplyDeleteBut that's their new strategy even in the US is to compete with the likes of mercedes, audi, and bmw. Their vehicles quality wise and design wise compare to their German counterparts heck even the next gen cx-5 and Mazda 6 are moving to a RWD platform with inline 6 engines. The problem is that while Mazda doesn't have any luxury car brands right now(I.E. Acura:Honda, Lexus:Toyota) most people still associate them with ford which is unfortunate since the release of the cx-5 which is the launch platform for their wholly developed chassis/engine & transmission without any input from Ford.
DeletePlus there is an untapped market here for premium trucks like what's happening in the US.
Probably this truck (BT-50) will sell well like his most affordable counterpart (D-Max)
ReplyDeleteI hope they won't overprice this product. I would like to see a mid tier 4x2 variant (around or below PHP 1.5M) that would have great safety equipment. As the market stands right now (if I'm not mistaken), the only trucks that have great safety tech at around PHP 1.5M would be the Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4x2 and the Nissan Navara VL 4x2 A/T. It would be great if their would be a challenger at this price point or to simply give the mid variant some love unlike most trucks where only the most expensive versions get almost all tech some even includes LED headlights as a feature reserved for their high-end variant only (It's always a bummer).
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