FOR Mazda Philippines, championing wildlife preservation is best manifested by introducing a pickup variant dedicated to raising awareness of a critically endangered species—the BT-50 4×4 Pangolin Edition.
As the name derivation, the pickup represents the endangered and world’s most trafficked mammal, which features design elements that ensure long, versatile, and steady service, matching its namesake’s gentle tenacity. “The BT-50 Pangolin is Mazda Philippines’s way to acknowledge our important role in preserving the delicate balance of our environment as we go about our daily lives,” shared Mazda Philippines President and CEO Steven Tan.
Standard to the new Pangolin variant is the Matte Black finish front grille, aluminum roof rack, roll bars, and riveted fender flares. Moreover, the truck rolls with 17-inch ROTA alloy wheels complementing the unique body decal. Inside, a seven-inch touchscreen JVC infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring capability and black leather steering wheel matched with controls matched with black leather seats.
Motivation comes from a potent 3.2-liter five-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel engine dishing out 197 hp and 47 N-m of maximum torque. Available body color options are Cool White, Titanium Flash, True Red, Jet Black, Aluminum Metallic, and Deep Crystal Blue. The BT-50 4×4 Pangolin Edition’s special introductory price is P1,400,000 (P150,000 less than the regular SRP). Moreover, the BT50 4×4 Pangolin comes with a Mazda 5-Year Free Service Plan that includes 10 Periodic Maintenance Service schedules over five years, or 100,000 kilometers, whichever occurs first.
Partnership with Katala Foundation
Mazda Philippines also teamed up with the Katala Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit Philippine NGO that is active in protecting and conserving threatened endemic wildlife like the Pangolin. “The Philippine Pangolin is an endemic and critically endangered species that deserves our attention and concern. That is why together with Katala Foundation, we at Mazda Philippines will make use of the enduring nature of the BT-50 to promote awareness and inspire conservation of one the Philippines’s and the world’s most critically endangered mammals,” Tan explained.
To add further credence to its newfound advocacy, Mazda Philippines will lend a Mazda BT-50 4×4 Pangolin to the Katala Foundation for one year. With Mazda’s support, the NGO will make use of the pickup truck to promote its wildlife protection advocacies and perform its preservation and monitoring duties during this time.
“What an appropriate choice Mazda made to give the much-needed attention that the Palawan Pangolin deserves,” said Katala Foundation’s Program Director, Indira Lacerna-Widmann. “We hope that with this vehicle, we will have the right direction to achieve the conservation status of this species. It’s an honor for us. The passion that we work for this species—and for other species we are working on—is also carried in the passion for this vehicle.”
On December 18, 2020, Mazda Philippines formally turned over a BT-50 4×4 Pangolin Edition to the Katala Foundation to support the NGO’s conservation activities for the endangered Palawan Pangolin. The brand-new BT-50 Pangolin unit will replace the organization’s aging 1996 Mazda Proceed. The brand-new unit will service the foundation for one year to support its Pangolin monitoring and population checking activities in different locations around Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
“With all the challenges and threats that the Palawan Pangolin is currently facing, it is only fitting that Mazda Philippines sends over its Christmas gift for the Pangolins this early so that we can help stop the trafficking and contribute to their protection and preservation,” said Tan. “We are committed to supporting Katala Foundation’s activities as it pursues the conservation status of one of the most endangered species in the world. It is our hope that the Katala Foundation’s use of the BT-50 Pangolin Edition will continue to call attention to the plight of this species and help save the country’s endemic wildlife and fragile ecosystem,” he added.
Lacerna-Widmann, for her part, shared, “This pickup truck also represents the same challenges that the Palawan Pangolin faces today. We hope that together with the support of Mazda Philippines, we can finally head in the right direction to achieve the conservation status of this species. We would like to thank Mazda Philippines for this opportunity. It is an honor for us to be its partner in this mission. Our companies share the same passion in our work for this species as well as in the development of this vehicle.”