Badge engineering seems to be all the rage these days, or at least it’s making a strong comeback. We’ve recently seen it with the Fiat Professional Fullback, which is essentially a new generation Mitsubishi Triton with an Italian badge, and now there is a new and rather unlikely partnership blooming.
Isuzu will be producing Mazda’s next generation bakkie. According to the joint press release issued on behalf of the respective carmakers, this partnership will prove to be vital as it will “enhance the Isuzu product competitiveness” while also “strengthening Mazda’s product line-up”.
The first generation Mazda BT-50 shared a platform with the MY-2006 Ford Ranger and was also used as an outline for the previous generation, Ford Everest. The once fruitful relationship has, however, been inscribed into the captions of history.
This new collaboration is, however, not as unheard of as songstress Taylor Swift singing about anything not relating to failed relationships.
For the better part of a decade, Isuzu produced the Mazda Elf commercial vehicle for the Japanese market, which is better known in SA as the Isuzu N-Series medium-sized commercial truck.
While the moniker to grace this bakkie remains undecided, the press release has indicated that this Isuzu love-child will be sold worldwide, except in Northern America.