as well as being produced in South Africa for the local market. The original Ford Bantam (1) launched in 1983 was based on the Ford Escort Mk III. It was produced in the Ford plant in Port Elizabeth and later in the Samcor plant in Pretoria when Ford divested from South Africa. Bantam 1 was replaced by the Bantam 2, with a Mazda 323 6th generation-based Ford Laser front end, and was also branded Mazda Rustler. The Bantam is sold successfully as a compact rugged commercial vehicle as well as a leisure oriented privately owned vehicle.