Mazda's new BT-50 could ditch the sleek and swooping lines of the brand's broader Kodo Phase II design language, aiming for a tougher, more masculine and more truck-like look for the brand's only ute.
With a new BT-50 - this time jointly developed with Isuzu - expected to be revealed next year ahead of a 2020 on-sale date, debate has raged about how exactly Mazda will tie its newest Kodo design philosophy - debuted on the new Mazda 3 just revealed in LA - into a rough and tumble ute.
The answer, it seems, is they won't, with Mazda executives saying its ute product won't look like an SUV with a tray, and will instead focus on being "masculine and strong".
"The rear area of the truck itself is very difficult to use this design language, but I could try," says the company's design boss, Ikuo Maeda. "I myself think the truck should look masculine and strong, and really like a truck. It might be difficult to try this kind of (Kodo) design, with all the light reflections, to a truck. It's tough."
Maeda went on to promise that, despite the Isuzu partnership, Mazda's BT-50 version will have it's own unique design and presence.
"It will have to," he said.
As earlier reported, the next-gen BT-50 will have more Aussie input, in terms of engineering know-how and dealer input, in an effort to improve its standing in the Australian marketplace. Look for it to make its debut in the new year.
Do you like your utes to look tough? Tell us in the comments below.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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