Mazda gives Fortuner rival the thumbs down once again

Mazda has reiterated comments made two years ago that it won’t be introducing a rival for the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest using its partnership with Isuzu anytime soon.

In a more detailed discussion on the matter, Hiroshima’s Marketing Director for Australia, Alastair Doak, who made the original confirmation in 2020, told carsguide.com.au that a bakkie-based or body-on-frame SUV doesn’t fit the company’s profile in spite of the segment’s popularity not only Down Under, but also in a number of other markets, including South Africa.

“It’s not where our brand is, we are comfortable where we are. We always look at everything, and we did actually look at (BT-50-based SUV) in the past; not recently, but we did, and we said it’s probably not for us. And we haven’t really changed our opinion since,” Doak said.

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Explaining Mazda’s stance further, Doak stated that extensive segment research revealed that the eventual offset didn’t warrant any investment based on an initial sales offload of 500 units a month solely with right-hand-drive.

“You just can’t justify the numbers, it doesn’t really make sense. But even then, if it had been something that you thought: ‘Wow, that’s right on bullseye for our brand and it’s something that our customer base is really asking for’, then obviously you’d be pushing the cause, but it isn’t. It just doesn’t really even get past that first gateway of ‘let’s progress this further and try and get some interest happening,” he remarked.

Twenty-four months ago, the executive told carexpert.com.au that the BT-50, based on the Isuzu D-Max, is “where it begins and end” and that it won’t be approaching its alliance partner for use of the MU-X rebadged as a Mazda in the long term.

Along with Volkswagen’s confirmation last month that it too won’t be introducing an SUV version of the Everest in accordance with its joint venture with Ford that resulted in the Ranger underpinned new Amarok, Mazda remains the only other renowned bakkie marque not to offer a body-on-frame SUV after departing the segment in 1998 with the Proceed Marvie spun-off of the B-series.

Aside from the Fortuner (Hilux), Everest (Ranger) and MU-X (D-Max), the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (Triton) prevails as the only other bakkie-based SUV on the market following Nissan’s decision earlier this year to withdraw the Terra as way of focusing on local assembly of the model it is underpinned by, the Navara.