Mazda: It’s too early for a PHEV ute

The managing director of Mazda Australia has ruled out any form of electrification for the current BT-50 ute, with the Japanese carmaker set to prioritise diesel power and off-road prowess... for now.

The Finer Details

Speaking with carsales this week, Vinesh Bhindi confirmed the brand’s BT-50 ute wouldn’t be electrified until at least the next generation, at which point both range extender and battery-electric options will be on the table.

The revelation is at odds with previous insight gained by carsales earlier this year which suggested a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute based on the upcoming Isuzu D-MAX PHEV could be offered soon.

In this latest interview, Bhindi said although PHEV utes like the BYD Shark 6 have a niche market, Mazda will continue to cater to “traditional ute buyers” who expect 3500kg towing, a one-tonne payload and decent off-road capability.

“A plug-in hybrid [ute] may be able to do most of those things, but is the customer having the comfort to say, ‘now is the time to go to those [off-road] tracks?’ And we think it’s still a bit early,” he said.

“There’s a niche offering and there’s niche demand. Something like the BYD [Shark 6] is doing well and resonating with their customer fan base and it’ll grow, but at this stage, we believe majority of the market [wants] a traditional ute with off-road capability, being able to tow those heavy caravans or horse floats, or whatever else they want to tow and also the payload capabilities.”

He added that Mazda’s focus for the current BT-50 would remain on “critical” things like off-road capabilities, payload and towing, along with diesel performance.

“I believe, and Mazda believes, those are the three critical things for someone who looks at a proper off-road ute, or the traditional ute buyers.

“Yes, there will be others providing range extension, there’s people who are talking about battery electric versions, and we believe that’s probably going to be a smaller market opportunity – not the mainstream.

“Now, once we move to the next generation, we may consider all of those technologies, but for this generation of our BT-50, we are more focussed on the diesel performance and its ability to perform off road, towing and payload capacity.”

Mazda has never built its own ute, instead relying on long-standing partnerships with brands like Ford and Isuzu.

Before the BT-50 arrived in the mid-2000s, the Bravo was sold in Australia as a rebadged Ford Courier, the first- and second-gen BT-50s carry Ranger DNA and the current model is of course a reskinned version of the Isuzu D-MAX.

Mazda didn’t sign up for the electric D-MAX program, meaning a battery electric BT-50 is also off the cards if the brand were to change its mind.

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