Mazda’s global design director, Ikuo Maeda, has promised that the next BT-50 bakkie will take on a “beautiful form”, albeit with a “tougher element”.
Speaking to Drive, Ikuo-san admitted that applying the Japanese brand’s latest design language to a bakkie would be a “challenge”.
“We have to focus on creating a beautiful form but adding a tougher element to it to make it more manly,” he told the Australian publication.
While the current BT-50 is based on the Ford Ranger, the next-generation version of Mazda’s bakkie will be developed by Isuzu alongside the next-generation KB after the two Japanese firms reached a basic agreement last year.
Hiroyuki Matsumoto, general manager of vehicle development at Mazda, told Drive that the bulk of the development work would be done by Isuzu.
“We will ask Isuzu to incorporate Mazda’s taste and philosophy, so along those lines Isuzu is going to do the settings and tunings of the suspension to meet our philosophy,” Hiroyuki-san said.
“We will consign development to Isuzu. However, our Mazda engineers are also involved, for example test driving the vehicle with Isuzu. Designing, engineering and production – these activities are consigned to Isuzu,” he explained.
