Mazda Philippines quietly tweaks the BT-50 lineup to tackle excise tax price increases

Ever since the exemption on excise tax on pickup trucks was removed last month, manufacturers have had no choice but to increase the pricing on their trucks in response.

With the Mazda BT-50 being one of the more recently introduced pickup trucks, Mazda Philippines had to find a different way to tackle this, and their solution was to introduce “new” variants to help soften the blow to the consumer.

A quick visit to their website shows two variants, the 3.0L A/T 4×4 and 3.0L A/T 4×2. The former costs Php 1,950,000, which is Php 100,000 more than the previous 3.0 A/T 4×4 Pangolin, and the latter now costs Php 1,600,000, just Php 50,000 more than before.

So, what happened? For starters, the factory-installed accessories from both trucks have been made optional.

For the 3.0L A/T 4×4 (which no longer bears the Pangolin name), these parts have been removed, such as the front skid plate, fender flares, fashion bar, roller cargo bed cover, wireless charger, the 360-degree camera, tailgate assist, and all-weather deep dish floor mats.

But for Php 100,000, you can get the optional Pangolin Kit, which brings them back.

As for the 3.0L A/T 4×2, the changes are a bit more noticeable. The seats are now upholstered in black fabric, the steering wheel is now urethane, and the center armrest and door trim are now black.

Should you want to bring back the teracotta and black leather with Leganu suede upholstery for the seats, steering wheel, and door cards; the side step boards; front skid plate; 360-degree camera; tailgate assist; and all-weather, deep dish floor mats, you can pay an additional Php 80,000 for the Sport Kit.

As for the rest of the truck, everything else remains the same, from the colors to the Isuzu-sourced 3.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine (4JJ3-TCX) with 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, six-speed automatic transmission, and the upgraded looks, tech, and safety systems.

^{Photos by Julian Panlilio and Screenshots from Mazda Philippines}