Why it will be a while before Isuzu has an answer to the BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha HEV: What we know so far about the 2028 Isuzu D-Max hybrid

Are you wondering when Australia’s third best-selling ute is finally going hybrid?

The simple answer is: not yet.

According to one insider who asked not to be named, it seems that Isuzu is engineering the redesigned next-generation D-Max, due in 2028, with a new hybridised internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrain.

Which means it is too late for the existing, RG-series D-Max launched here in 2020 and facelifted late last year, to go hybrid.

“Isuzu won’t offer hybrids in D-Max before then in the existing version,” they told CarsGuide at the launch of the Walkinshaw-enhanced Blade off-road version in Adelaide last month.

What the 2028 D-Max redesign and its hybrid ICE will look like in terms of fuel type (diesel or petrol), cylinder configuration and engine/electric motor capacity, remains to be seen.

We do know that, for some years, Isuzu has been working on an electrification roadmap for the D-Max to take it to the end of this decade and beyond.

Central to this has been an electric vehicle (EV) version, unveiled as a concept in March this year in Thailand and dubbed the D-Max BEV, marking the beginning of this journey.

While Europe is the priority for this model for now, it is slated for launch in Australia sometime from next year as well.

“The electric version is coming for Australia… and soon,” the Isuzu source revealed. “We will definitely see it.”

This means that Isuzu is set to beat legacy rivals like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara to the EV punch in this market, if not newer brands from China such as LDV. The latter, of course, broke new ground back in 2022 with the eT60 EV and will back that up soon with its promising e-Terron 9 successor.

More recently, GWM released Australia's first-ever hybrid ute in the Cannon Alpha HEV, followed by the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

Which all raises a question: why is there a D-Max EV coming soon but no hybrid or PHEV version?

With the launch of the Shark 6 PHEV creating a big buzz amongst ute buyers as the first of its type ever in Australia, especially at its $57,900 before on-road costs pricing, it seems surprising that Isuzu has skipped hybridisation and gone straight to full-electric.

After all, with an advanced specification that includes electric motors on each axle for all-wheel drive, a 67kWh lithium-ion battery offering around 300km of range and with no concession of towing or payload capacity to the diesel versions, the D-Max BEV will likely cost even more than the newly-released $76,990 Blade by Walkinshaw flagship.

However, we understand that offering the EV ute as soon as possible in Europe, with its increasingly stringent emissions standards, was seen as the more urgent course of action to maintain a presence in key markets over the next few years.

This is especially so as the ageing 1.9-litre and 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine choices would likely fail to viably meet imminent pollution regulations.

Basically, it came down to Isuzu developing an EV version or pull out of key European markets.

Now, though, it appears that the Japanese commercial vehicle giant is going full-speed ahead with hybrids.

In late October, Isuzu announced a Mild Hybrid EV (MHEV) model for the Thai-market D-Max, featuring the existing 110kW/350Nm 1.9-litre turbo-diesel paired to a small (350Wh) battery and 48-volt starter generator. But as it’s 4x2 rear-drive only for now, it is not suitable for the majority of Australian consumers in this segment, so won’t be coming here.

But with the Cannon Alpha Hybrid and Shark 6 PHEV utes already on sale here, and the Ranger PHEV and Cannon Alpha PHEV coming by the middle of next year, has Isuzu put too many eggs in the basket labelled EV rather than in the one marked hybrid?

Let us know in the comments below.