Isuzu D-MAX Blade trademarked for Australia

UPDATED 22/05/2023 5:15pm: IUA provided the following statement in relation to trademarking the D-MAX Blade nameplate:

"As a standard process for many businesses, IUA registers trademarks locally at times to protect global IP and identities registered by Isuzu abroad. This doesn’t mean that those applications will be successful or that those trademarks will be used."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED 22/05/2023 3:00pm: Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) looks to be readying a new highly-specified Isuzu D-MAX variant ready to take on the fully loaded Ford Ranger Premium or even – finally – the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior.

IUA recently submitted a trademark application with IP Australia for the ‘D-MAX Blade’ nameplate exclusively under Class 12 (all-terrain vehicles) and, while most readers might not immediately recognise the title, it does actually have a place in Isuzu Ute history – albeit overseas.

Briefly sold in the UK as a fully-loaded swansong version of the last-generation D-MAX, the UK-spec Blade can also be seen as the precursor to Australia’s current-generation D-MAX X-Terrain in that it was fitted with all the bells and whistles and aimed more at recreational and private buyers.

Beyond ventilated seats, memory function for the driver and a powered sunroof, however, there’s not much more equipment IUA could potentially throw at the X-Terrain to extend its equipment list, which leads us to believe the Blade nameplate could be applied to a more-capable D-MAX variant akin to the old UK-spec XTR.

In the UK, that vehicle occupied a similar position to our old Ranger FX4 Max in being a cut-priced off-road flagship playing second fiddle to the true hero of the range, the D-MAX Arctic Trucks AT35.

The XTR was fitted with Pedders springs, dampers and control arms, extended wheel-arches, beefier underbody protection, 17-inch alloys shod with 32-inch Pirelli Scorpion tyres, wider tracks, upgraded brakes and a unique front fascia to make it both more capable and more menacing to look at.

Flagship pick-up trucks are big business these days, with most heavyweight ute manufacturers either offering or working on some sort of tricked-up load-lugger, with Isuzu’s X-Terrain currently filling that role in an equipment and styling context.

The catch is that Ford, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi (indirectly) now all have more capable hero versions of their respective ute models in showrooms, leaving IUA as one of the few brands without a stand-out off-road flagship.

Mazda is getting in on the action too with its genuine adjustable suspension upgrade for the BT-50 – the D-MAX’s twin under the skin – and so pressure is mounting on IUA to join the party with a factory-enhanced D-MAX.

It’s almost certain the eventual flagship won’t be a fire-breathing Ranger Raptor rival, but that doesn’t mean it can’t take the fight to the Wildtrak X, Navara PRO-4X Warrior, HiLux Rogue and upcoming Triton Xtreme, all of which side-step powertrain tweaks in favour of suspension and chassis upgrades.

We’re yet to hear back from IUA regarding the new trademark, but the brand has traditionally been hesitant to comment on future product plans.

However, when the current D-MAX was launched in Australia in August 2020, IUA director of sales, marketing and fleet Koichiro Yoshida said: “We see the competitors like Warrior and Raptor… some customers would like those vehicles.

“We keep monitoring those demands and we are also studying if that kind of vehicle is really appreciated by the market.

“Yes, we are having that study internally, but at this moment still no clear plan to introduce such a model.”

Another possibility for the Blade nameplate is a better-specified variant powered by the entry-level 1.9-litre turbo-diesel powerplant, which presently only motivates the entry-level Isuzu D-MAX SX grade.

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