Farewell BT-50: Mazda’s only ute axed from New Zealand market

After 18 years on sale in New Zealand, the local arm of Mazda has announced that it will no longer sell the BT-50 dual-cab ute here.

The brand confirmed that the final shipments of the model are arriving in the country, with changing consumer demands and a shift towards electrified models being cited for its axing.

“The conclusion of the BT-50 is certainly the end of an era for Mazda in New Zealand,” says David Hodge, Managing Director of Mazda Motors of New Zealand.

“Undeniably the market has changed significantly over the past few years: the move towards SUVs, a greater uptake of electrified vehicles, and most recently the Clean Car Programme have all influenced consumer tastes.”

The BT-50 began life in New Zealand as a facelift model to the Bounty in 2006, before entering its second generation in 2011.

In 2020, the current generation model made its debut on the same platform as the Isuzu D-Max in dual-cab form, which is how the model will be remembered by Kiwis.

This isn’t the end of the road for the BT-50 nameplate altogether though, as it will continue to be sold in other markets like Australia, Thailand, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Africa.

However, Mazda New Zealand is taking a different approach with its model line-up compared to the aforementioned markets and is instead shifting its focus to a new electrified line-up in a bid to meet the company’s carbon dioxide emission goals.

The local arm of the brand most recently introduced two new SUVs, the CX-60 and CX-90, both of which feature hybrid drivetrains and will be joined by the CX-80 later this year.