We have some fascitating news for you. In May Toyota and Mazda signed a partnership agreement and now Car Advice report news from Down Under that the next Mazda BT-50 pick-up truck could be based on the top of the range Toyota Hilux.
This news comes after the original agreement only suggest that the only thing to be shared with Mazda is Toyota’s fuel-cell and hybrid technology and that in return Mazda would share their economical SkyActiv petrol and diesel engines with Toyota. This one-tonne pick up truck deal could therefore be included in the “long-term” collaboration agreement between the two carmakers.
At the moment, the Mazda BT-50 is based on the Ford Ranger T6 and the vehicles are both produced in Thailand at the AutoAlliance plant. This year the BT-50 was given a mid-life facelift and therefore Mazda will have to figure out next-gen plans in the near future as well.
The logical thing for Mazda to do due to the lack of scale is a joint-venture and it has the option of carrying on working together with Ford or whether to go with Toyota and join the pick-up world. Mazda managing executive officer Masahiro Moro gave the polite reply: “We are working on a future program. It is very early days.”
Moro took into account that the BT-50 was an important vehicle (or as it is called in Australia, New Zealand and some South-East Asian countries: a ute) and that it would be given “adequate updates” if it was to carry on working together with Ford. He refused to comment on if the BT-50 will be twinned with the Hilux stating that the topic was a sensitive subject. “I honestly don’t know. They do have pick-up trucks in North America and Asia, but I truly don’t know because we have not discussed,” he stated.
The official also didn’t reveal a lot of informationon the larger Mazda-Toyota partnership. He went on to say “We don’t have a complete agenda yet. This alliance was formed with the clear articulation of working together to develop better cars”.
