‘Too cool’: The Mazda ute you didn’t know existed

If your daily travel involves some form of vehicle, chances are you’re likely to encounter waves of utes populating local roads.

The dependable workhorse has firmly planted its presence across a majority of Australian households, with ute sales – encompassing light commercial utes and cab chassis/pick-up trucks  – totalling 222,566 as of June 2026.

RELATED: ‘Magnificent’: Hyundai’s first ‘ute’ seen in Australia

And while most motorists are aware of Mazda’s sole ute model in the BT-50 – the marque’s fourth-best-selling model by volume in Australia – its next 'ute' was spotted in regional Australia, much to the delight of locals.

A Reddit user recently spotted a Mazda 2 hatch that was DIY-converted into a cab-chassis ute, affixed with a tray and two extra wheels, with the image going viral on the Cars Australia Reddit thread.

While the poster did not specify where the pint-sized workhorse was found, the car was spotted donning NSW plates.

The home-job city hatch ute found favour among other Reddit users, with some chiming in with humorous responses at the sight of the Mazdastein-esque workhorse.

A different Reddit user cheekily remarked, “When it grows up it wants to be a BT-50”, while another said it should be named, “Mazda 2te”.

The Reddit thread – which has accrued over 1000 upvotes – also garnered attention from ute enthusiasts, with one commenter adding, “My first thought when I saw the photo was ‘I mean, why the •••• WOULDN’T you do that?’ It’s just too cool”.

A different commenter added, “The hatchbacks, they yearn to be utes".

Though the hatch-turned-ute has found popularity among internet users, the reality of Mazda’s light and small cars is much darker.

According to a June 2026 Drive report, sales of the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 have sharply declined for the past two decades.

Mazda 2 sales peaked in 2012 when the Japanese marque delivered 17,574 examples. By the end of 2025, it dropped by 75 per cent to 1805 since its record year over two decades ago.

Despite the decline in sales over the past decade, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive in April 2026 the hatch will still be in Australia for the foreseeable future despite the brand axing the model in the UK.

“From Mazda Australia's point of view, if Mazda Corporation are making these cars and they are available to us – and there is demand or interest in it – we will work as we can to make it available,” Bhindi said.

The Mazda Australia executive confirmed there will be a new-generation Mazda 2 coming – though he would not be drawn on when it'll arrive in Australia, only that the brand will prioritise updating other models.

In the case of the Mazda 3 – the best-selling small vehicle alongside the Toyota Corolla between 2011 and 2013, as well as 2013 and 2015 – its sales have fallen off by approximately 76 per cent, from a decade-high of 44,128 in 2012 to 10,291 by the end of 2025.

However, the BT-50 ute continues to be a strong model for the Japanese marque. In March 2026, Mazda refreshed its BT-50 lineage, with the Japanese marque bringing back the Thunder flagship badge and introducing a new BT-50 'Boss’ variant.

It seems as though the demand for hatch-style utes has been appearing in Australia, with a different motorist previously spotted converting a Hyundai Getz into a cute workhorse.

If you want to know the full story behind Hyundai's first 'ute', visit Drive's previous story here.