Mazda has released the first pictures of its new Freestyle cab. The company has confirmed that it will launch this extended cabin addition to its bakkie range during the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), starting 1 July.
There are two important features that stand out on this new Freestyle Cab. Firstly, Mazda has increased the loading bay in width, length and height. The result is now an overall cargo volume of 1 453 dm3, according to Mazda an increase of 266 dm3 compared to the current Freestyle model.
Mazda chose to retain an extended-cab design featuring suicide doors that give access to the additional rear space. Compared to other cab-and-a-half bakkies in this class, Mazda actually offers two small seats in the back. The manufacturer has also lengthened the cushions by 50 mm, the seatback height by 128 mm and there is even more stable fitment for child seats. It remains to be seen if Mazda will offer these seats locally.
“Just as we were delighted to be given the privilege of hosting the global debut of the all-new BT-50 Dual Cab in Sydney last year, we are equally delighted to be hosting the global debut of the Freestyle Cab in Melbourne this year. With Australia expected to be the largest market for the BT-50 it’s no coincidence that we’ve been asked to host not one but two global unveilings of this important new model. It’s only appropriate that the Australian public see it first,” said Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson, ahead of the Freestyle’s launch next month.
The bakkie market is set to get more competitive as we will see the local launch of both the new Ford Ranger bakkie and its stablemate, the new Mazda BT-50 towards the end of the year – hopefully the Freestyle will join the fray soon thereafter to make things really interesting.
