Updated Isuzu D-MAX due in Oz early 2017

The new-look Isuzu D-MAX will be launched in Australia in early 2017, senior executives at the company confirmed.

Keiichi Yagai, Isuzu General Manager of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Oceania, was at the Paris motor show for the vehicle's European launch, telling local media the fresh-faced ute would be launched in Australia early in 2017, bringing with it an updated interior.

The Isuzu exec wouldn't be drawn on specifics, except to say a more efficient 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine will not be offered here.

As such, it's looking increasingly unlikely the new six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes will be offered in this country either, with those reserved for just the 1.9-litre oiler. Isuzu's new engine is almost 20 per cent more fuel efficient and also meets ever tightening European CO2 regulations. It also bangs out 110kW and 350Nm.

With less stringent emissions regulations in this country, the new-look Aussie D-MAX utes could continue running the dirtier 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, a 130kW/380Nm proposition. However there is also evidence to suggest the bigger, brawnier 3.0-litre unit could be tweaked down the track.

So what else is new for the updated D-MAX ute? The vehicle's face has been cosmetically altered with more assertive headlight clusters and front bumpers, the interiors have been upgraded and an increased level of equipment will be available.

These changes, including an updated infotainment system with 7- and 8-inch touch screens and improved smartphone connectivity, should increase the already popular ute's appeal in Australia.

Yagai said Australia was an important market for Isuzu utes, the third-largest market for the brand's pick-ups globally.

When talk turned to the collaboration with Mazda, which will see Isuzu develop the next-generation BT-50 alongside its own long overdue replacement for the D-MAX, Yagai-san remained tight-lipped.