2022 Mazda BT-50 Pickup Truck Arrives Early

2022 Mazda BT-50 arrives early, thanks to production blitz at the Pickup Truck’s manufacturing base in Thailand

The revised Mazda BT-50 Thunder will compete with the Toyota HiLux Rugged X and the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior. 

Thai production blitz has helped Mazda make up for lost time with updated and expanded BT pickup range. Following closely behind its Isuzu D-MAX twin-under-the-skin, the upgraded 2022 Mazda BT-50 range has started arriving in Aussie dealerships 6 to 7 weeks ahead of schedule.

Originally due in late January, Mazda says BT-50 availability and wait times are “returning to pre-pandemic levels” after months of COVID-inflicted production delays.

The latest production blitz at the pickup’s manufacturing base in Thailand has in some cases more than halved waiting times for Australian customers, depending on the dealership.

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And Mazda has told carsales that the supply of other model lines is now looking better, too.

“We are thrilled to have BT-50 in supply and other model lines are returning to normal to fulfill both existing customer orders and future orders,” said a Mazda Australia spokesperson.

“BT-50 orders are looking healthy, especially with the introduction of even more variety across the range, BT-50 is able to give customers a diverse and comprehensive product offering.”

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The addition of the 1.9-liter engine follows in the footsteps of the 2022 Isuzu D-MAX line-up, while the introduction of the SP provides Mazda with a direct alternative to the D-MAX X-Terrain.

The revised line-up also elevates the Mazda BT-50 Thunder to compete on closer terms with the Toyota HiLux Rugged X, Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior, and other similar flagship 4×4 dual-cab pickup.

At this stage, however, there are still no plans from Mazda to offer up a genuine juiced-up Ford Ranger Raptor rival.

“The BT-50 SP and BT-50 Thunder will appeal to those looking for a higher specced package with a bolder and more aggressive aesthetic whilst still being able to perform with towing capacity, payload, and off-roading,” the spokesperson said.

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