The new-look 2025 Mazda BT-50 ute (pickup truck) has been launched in Australia, but unlike the pick-up truck on which it's based - the Isuzu D-Max - buyers shouldn't expect to see a battery-electric version any time soon.

Mazda's BT-50 is built by Isuzu at the same factory as its D-Max in Thailand and the company has confirmed an EV ute version of the Isuzu D-Max is locked in for Australia, revealing a concept version powered by a 67kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

The vehicle will launch in 2025 in Norway first and will also make its way to the UK, Thailand and Australia in due course.

But Mazda will play the waiting game before bolting out of the gates with its reskinned version of Isuzu's EV ute.

"Right here, right now, we see customers buying utes still needing something that's fit for purpose, and in the hierarchy of purposes and what's important, payload and towing is in the top part," stated Mazda Australia's managing director, Vinesh Bhindi. The long-standing Mazda Australia boss wouldn't rule out a silent battery-powered ute based on Isuzu's tech, agreeing that if customer demand is there, the importer would address that.

But he cautioned that an EV ute was not a priority for Mazda at present.

"Our focus isn't there," he said. "Our focus is more about meeting what the customer wants. So these newer [EV] technologies at this stage haven't demonstrated they can satisfy that [towing and payload] element as well."