马自达正在着手准备新一代BT50的换代，而换代后的新车将会拥有更多马自达独创性的设计。与现行版一样，新车将采用将依旧基于与五十铃的合作关系打造，在整车平台方面将会与五十铃D-MAX实现共享。在动力方面新车也将会与搭载与五十铃D-MAX相同的动力系统。而这也将使得新一代马自达BT50成为马自达旗下唯一一款不是基于SKYACTIV技术打造了而来的车型。但是在外观方面，全新一代马自达BT50将会运用全新的家族化设计。而在本届东京国际车展上亮相的两款马自达概念车所代表的未来造型趋势也将会出现在新一代马自达BT50上。全新的马自达BT50将依旧锁定以澳洲、东南亚市场为主的皮卡市场。
Next-Gen Mazda Pickup Will Feature Beautiful But "Manly" Design
Small pickup trucks are all the rage right now, and Mazda, not one to be left out of the fray, is preparing an all-new version of its longstanding BT-50. Like the current model, the next-generation pickup will use a borrowed platform, specifically the Isuzu D-Max. Though it will share much of the same mechanics as the Isuzu, it will come with a design entirely unique to Mazda.
According to WheelsMag, Managing Executive Officer and Head of Design, Ikuo Maeda, confirmed that a new BT-50 is indeed in the works. But he admits that translating Mazda’s current design direction to a small pickup truck is no easy task.
"It is a challenge," Maeda said in an interview with the publication. "We have to focus on creating a beautiful form but adding tougher elements to make it manly." Both the Vision Coupe and the Kai concept, which made their debut in Tokyo, will reportedly help inspire the new pickup. Though it will bear a signature Mazda design, nearly all of the underpinnings will be borrowed from Isuzu. It will be the only vehicle in the range to not be built on the company’s SkyActiv platform or utilize any sort of SkyActiv powertrain. Executive Officer in Charger of Powertrain Development, Ichiro Hirose, denied that Mazda’s upcoming new triple-turbo diesel engine will be used.
Even with the new design, don’t expect to see the Japanese pickup on U.S. shores anytime soon. The current BT-50, which has been on the market since 2006, is limited to markets outside of the U.S. exclusively, and given its Isuzu underpinnings, it will expectedly remain a light work truck for markets like Asia and Australia.