It’s the end of the road for Mazda’s BT-50 in South Africa
Since its debut in the South African bakkie segment in 2008, the Mazda BT-50, built due to an alliance with Ford SA in its Silverton plant, has been quite popular in the respective segment where other stalwarts live.
It made steady progress up the sales charts in its early days, but things took a turn for the worse in 2021 when the marque introduced the second-generation BT-50, which saw the old Ford Ranger drivetrain and chassis ditched for that of the current Isuzu D-Max bakkie.
Moreover, the BT-50 came with a complete redesign that brought it in line with the brand’s latest products, but unfortunately, it was a hit and miss, with more misses than us at TGSA would have liked.
In the wake of the 2020 decision by Mercedes-Benz to discontinue its short-lived X-Class bakkie due to poor sales, Mazda has announced that it will stop production of the BT-50 for the local market.
While the Mazda BT-50 presents an eye-catching stance, it is necessary to note that looks alone don’t guarantee success. Unfortunately, the BT-50 faced challenges in terms of ride quality and pricing. Despite sharing a ladder-frame with the D-Max, the suspension delivered an overly harsh ride quality.
To add to that, the steering when driving on gravel is vague, and grip levels, even with the 4x4 system engaged, could be a lot better.
Also, the pricing wasn’t competitive at the time of its launch in 2021, which indirectly forced buyers to instead opt for established players such as the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota Hilux Legend, and Nissan Navara Pro-4X, to name a few.
“The South African LCV, and in particular the double cab market, is extremely well developed and competitive, with locally manufactured brands and nameplates dominating sales. This factor, as well as an extremely challenging landscape for imported vehicles competing directly with locally manufactured products, has led Mazda SA to make this difficult decision,” says Craig Roberts, MD, of Mazda SA.
As it stands right now, Mazda SA further states that the current inventory at dealers will be the final available BT-50 units for sale in SA, and it won’t import any supplementary variants. Instead, the Japanese brand says that it will continue to manufacture the BT-50 for other global markets outside of SA.
The brand assures owners of the BT-50 that both current and previous-generation models that are still covered by the warranty and service plans will continue to be supported by Mazda SA.
In a nutshell, had the Mazda BT-50 realised its full potential, it could have improved Mazda’s sales and posed as a formidable rival to established segment players. Unfortunately, it was a missed opportunity this time around.
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