Isuzu

Isuzu Motors Ltd. or Isuzu Jidōsha Kabushiki-Kaisha

Type	Public TYO: 7202
Founded	April, 1937
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Products	Commercial vehicles, Diesel engines
Website	Isuzu Worldwide site

Isuzu Motors' head office (Minami- ōi, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo.)

Isuzu Motors Ltd. (いすゞ自動車株式会社, Isuzu Jidōsha Kabushiki-Kaisha^?), (TYO: 7202) is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures Tochigi and Hokkaidō. Isuzu is famous for producing commercial vehicles and diesel engines. By 2009, Isuzu had produced over 21 million diesel engines, which can be found in vehicles all over the world.^[1]

In most of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Isuzu is mostly known for trucks of all sizes, after Isuzu small automobile sales drastically plummeted and Isuzu had to drop all sales of sedans and compact cars in the late 1990s. In the United States, Isuzu has ceased selling passenger vehicles. Isuzu as a corporation has always been primarily a manufacturer of small to medium compact automobiles and commercial trucks of sizes medium duty and larger, but markets around the world show different needs. Isuzu has a contract with Budget Truck Rental to manufacture their rental trucks. This contract is also shared with Ford, GMC, and Navistar International.^[2]

On November 7, 2006, Toyota acquired 5.9% of Isuzu, making them the third largest shareholder behind ITOCHU and Mitsubishi Corporation.

History

• 1916 - Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Co. cooperatively plan to build automobiles.
• 1918 - A technical cooperation with Wolseley Motor Company is initiated. In 1922 the first Wolseley model A-9 car is domestically produced. The CP truck follows two years later.
• 1933 - Ishikawajima Automotive Works merges with DAT Automobile Manufacturing and changes its name to Automobile Industries Co., Ltd.
• 1934 - A meeting with the Ministry of Trade and Industry results in the renaming of the truck to Isuzu, after the Isuzu River. The word translated into English means "fifty bells".
• 1949 - Isuzu is adopted as the company name.
• 1953 - With technical assistance of Rootes Group the Hillman Minx passenger car is produced.
• 1971 - A capital agreement with General Motors is signed.
• 1972 - The Chevrolet LUV becomes the first Isuzu-built vehicle to be sold in the United States. A decade later, it is replaced by a domestic vehicle, the Chevrolet S-10.
• 1973 - Isuzu introduces the Gemini, which is co-produced with General Motors. It is sold in the United States as Buick's Opel by Isuzu.
• 1981 - Isuzu-branded consumer and commercial vehicles are successfully exported to the United States. The Isuzu P'Up is the first model sold to consumers as an Isuzu, instead of a Chevrolet or Buick.
• 1987 - SIA (Subaru-Isuzu Automotive) is established as a joint venture with Fuji Heavy Industries (parent company of Subaru). Shortly thereafter, the Lafayette, Indiana plant becomes operational.
• 1993 - Isuzu ceases to export the Stylus (Geo Spectrum), its last cars in America, after ending the Impulse (Geo Storm) the year before.
• 1994 - Isuzu announces new vehicle exchange program with Honda, providing Honda with the Isuzu Rodeo (to be sold as the Honda Passport) and Isuzu Trooper (to be sold as the Acura SLX) and providing Isuzu with the Honda Odyssey (to be sold as the Isuzu Oasis). This has the effect of adding two SUVs to Honda's lineup and a minivan to Isuzu's lineup.
• 1996 - Isuzu's sales peak in the United States. The Isuzu Hombre pickup was introduced.
• 1998 - General Motors and Isuzu form DMAX, a joint venture to produce diesel engines. Isuzu resurrects the beloved Amigo. The uniquely styled VehiCROSS concept is unveiled.
• 1999 - GM raises its stake in Isuzu to 49%, effectively gaining control of the company. GM quickly follows this up with the appointment of an American GM executive to head Isuzu's North American Operations. This is the first time a non-Japanese executive has ever held such a high position at Isuzu. The U.S. introduction of the production version of the heralded VehiCROSS is met with mixed reviews, as its high pricetag, unique styling and two-door configuration don't seem to meet with market demands.
• 2000 - Concept convertible version of the VehiCROSS appears in the movie Mission to Mars.
• 2001 - Joe Isuzu, the immensely popular pitchman with implausible claims, is hired once again to promote the new Axiom. Isuzu sales begin to slide due to the aging of the Rodeo and Trooper, and poor management & lack of assistance from GM. Isuzu changes the name of the 2-door Amigo convertible to Rodeo Sport in an attempt to associate it with the better selling 4-door Rodeo. Movie Spy kids features Isuzu Axiom and Trooper.
• Early 2002 - Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) buys Isuzu's share of Lafayette, Indiana plant. Subaru Isuzu Automotive (SIA) becomes Subaru of Indiana Automotive. After 8 years of heavy Honda Passport sales and light Isuzu Oasis sales, Honda and Isuzu cooperatively end their vehicle exchange agreement. The Oasis is dropped, and Honda replaces the Passport with the Pilot. Also, it was Isuzu's last year for passenger vehicles in Canada, as Isuzus in Canada were mostly sold at Saturn-Saab dealerships.
• Late 2002 - Isuzu begins the re-purchase of its stock from shareholders, primarily General Motors. Isuzu reduces GM's 49% share to 12% as part of this comprehensive recapitalization plan. As part of this reorganization, GM gains full control of DMAX and Isuzu Motors Polska, as well as ownership of all diesel engine designs from Isuzu. Isuzu drops the venerable Trooper from the North American lineup.
• 2003 - The Rodeo Sport is discontinued.
• July 2004 - Production of the Rodeo and Axiom cease. Sales in North America slow to just 27,188, with the discontinued Rodeo and Axiom making up 71% of that total. The number of Isuzu dealerships in the U.S. begins a rapid decline.
• 2005 - Isuzu dealers in the United States have only 2 models: the Ascender and the i-series pickup truck. The i-series is a rebadged Chevrolet Colorado, the Ascender is a re-badged GMC Envoy. At this point, Isuzu in the United States is primarily a distributor of medium duty trucks such as the NPR series. These vehicles are sourced both from Japan and U.S. plants in Janesville, Wisconsin and Flint, Michigan. Isuzu has 290 light-vehicle dealers in the U.S. as of August 2006, and sells an average of just two Ascenders per dealer per month. Plans to introduce a new Thai-built SUV, expected to be added for 2007, are shelved; Isuzu Motors Limited believes that a new SUV would be too risky and proceeds with the launch of the i-series trucks. Rumors of Isuzu's withdrawal from the U.S. market are rampant. Despite extremely low sales figures of 12,177 passenger vehicles for 2005 (with leftover Axiom and Rodeos making up 30% of this), Isuzu Motors America announces its first profit in years, mainly due to restructuring cuts.
• 2006 - Production of the 7-passenger Ascender ends in February with the closure of GM's Oklahoma City Assembly plant, leaving Isuzu with the 5-passenger Ascender, built in Moraine, Ohio and the low-selling i-Series as its only retail products. The company sold just 1,504 vehicles in North America in the first two months of 2006. Isuzu finally purchases its remaining shares from GM, but claims the companies will continue their current relationship. There is no word as of April 12, 2006 on the effect this will have on DMAX operations.
• June 2006 - Isuzu and GM Agree to establish Joint Venture called "LCV Platform Engineering Corporation (LPEC)" to develop a new pickup. Isuzu says it will use its engineering expertise to develop the pickup and GM will develop derivatives based on the integrated platform.
• November 2006 - Toyota purchases 5.9% of Isuzu and the two companies agree to study possible business collaboration focusing on the areas of R&D and production of diesel engines, related emissions-control, and other environmental technologies.
• January 2007 - Isuzu, along with General Motors Companies, release an update to the LCV range, with a 3.0 litre common rail diesel motor, with far more torque and power to its predecessor
• August 2007 - Isuzu and Toyota agree to develop a 1.6-liter diesel engine for use in Toyota vehicles sold in European markets. Details of development, production and supply of the diesel engine, are still under discussion, but in principle, Isuzu will play the leading role. Production is scheduled to begin around 2012.
• January 30, 2008 - Isuzu announces complete withdrawal from the US market,^[3] effective January 31, 2009. It will continue to provide support and parts. The decision was mainly affected by slowing sales. Isuzu had been experiencing a slow decline since the late 1990s. In less than 10 years, they had gone from selling a complete line of cars, trucks, and SUVs, into being a specialized SUV maker, and finally selling only a pair of rebadged, General Motors Trucks.^[4] They will continue to sell commercial vehicles in the U.S.^[5]
• January 29, 2009 - Isuzu and General Motors announce that they are in talks to transfer the operation of the medium-duty truck production line in Flint, Michigan to Isuzu for a five-year period. In June, however, GM announced that these talks failed to reach an agreement, and GM ceased production of the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick vehicles on July 31, 2009.^[6]

Important car, bus and light truck models

Isuzu LT132L on a Hong Kong motorway

Isuzu LV486R CNG City Bus in Bangkok with the CNG-MPI Engine

Isuzu Gemini with European (Maltese) registration plates

Isuzu NHR (Elf) light truck

Isuzu CXZ (Giga) heavy truck

Isuzu Journey operated by Citibus (New Zealand)

2005 Isuzu D-max Spacecab Hi-lander in Thailand

Passenger vehicle and SUVs

• 1963–1973, Bellett sedan (PR20) and 2 door GT (PR90 & PR91)
• 1967-1983, Isuzu Florian
• 1968-1981, 117 Coupe
• 1974–2000, Gemini/I-Mark/Stylus sedan
• 1983–1992, Piazza/Impulse/Storm hatchback
• 1983–2002, Aska sedan
• 1983–2002, Trooper midsize SUV
• 1983–1995, Isuzu P'up and TF models Japan built from 1987–1991, US built 1991-1995
• 1989-1994, Amigo compact SUV (First generation)
• 1991–2004, Rodeo small SUV
• 1991–present, Panther, a van sold in Indonesia, sold as the Isuzu Hi-Lander / Crosswind in the Philippines, also sold throughout the ASEAN, and in India as the Chevrolet Tavera
• 1996-1999, Isuzu Oasis minivan, a rebadged Honda Odyssey
• 1996–2000, Isuzu Hombre pickup truck, a rebadged Chevrolet S10
• 1998-2003, Amigo/Rodeo Sport compact SUV (Second generation)
• 1999–2001, VehiCROSS halo SUV
• 2001–2004, Axiom midsize SUV
• 2002–2008, Ascender large SUV
• 2002–present, D-Max Pickup Truck, a top selling diesel sold in the majority of Isuzu markets (excluding North America)
• 2006–2008, i-280/i-350 pickup truck (a product of the co-developed D-Max platform Isuzu sells overseas) now sold as the I-290/I-370

Commercial vehicles

• Elf - Light Duty Truck (N-Series)
• Forward - Medium Duty Truck (F-Series)
• Giga - Heavy Duty Truck (C-Series, E-Series)
• Gala - Heavy Duty Bus
• Gala Mio - Medium Duty Bus
• Erga - Low Deck Heavy Duty Bus
• Erga-J - Heavy Duty Bus
• Erga Mio - Low Deck Medium Duty Bus
• Journey - Light Duty Bus
• Journey-J - Medium Duty Bus
• H-Series - Heavy Duty Truck in United States only (Rebadged from GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak)

Race cars

• 1969 R7, Group 7 racecar
• 1970 Bellett R6, Group 6 racecar

Concept cars

• 1970 Bellett MX1600
• 1983 COA
• 1985 COA-II
• 1987 COA III, AWD mid engine coupe
• 1989 Costa
• 1989 MultiCROSS
• 1989 4200R
• 1991 Como, a pickup-style crossover with a Lotus Formula One engine^[7] (the name was later used for the rebadged Nissan Caravan E25 produced from 2001)
• 1991 Nagisa
• 1993 XU-1
• 1993 VehiCROSS
• 1995 Deseo
• 1995 Aisance
• 1997 VX-2
• 1997 Isuzu Zaccar
• 1999 Isuzu VX-O₂
• 1999 Revolutionary Vehicle-KAI
• 1999 ZXS
• 2000 Isuzu VX-4
• 2001 Zen
• 2001 GBX

Buses (Philippines)

• LV314K
• LV314L
• CJM470
• CJM500
• PABFTR33PLB
• FTR33P
• LT132
• LT423
• LV123

Buses (Thailand)

• CQA 650 A/T
• LV223S
• LV423R
• LV486R
• MT113QB

Leaving U.S. market

On January 30, 2008, Isuzu Motors America announced that it would discontinue the sale of passenger vehicles in the United States effective January 31, 2009. The company explained to its dealers that it had not been able to secure replacements for the Isuzu Ascender and Isuzu i-Series that would be commercially viable. Isuzu sold 7,098 cars in the year 2007.

Most Isuzu U.S. passenger vehicle dealers became service and parts dealers. They continue to honor the warranties of Isuzu vehicles and still sell parts and accessories. Isuzu became the last automaker of the 2000s to withdraw from North American sales.

This action did not affect Isuzu's commercial vehicle or industrial diesel engine operations in the United States.

See also

• List of automobile manufacturers
• General Motors Corporation
• Ghandhara Industries
• List of Isuzu engines
• Isuzu Diesel Engine

References

External links

• Isuzu website
• ISUZU (Japanese)
• ISUZU Worldwide
• Isuzu Philippines Corporation
• PlanetIsuzoo
• Isuzu Performance
• Isuzu Motor Sports
• Enthusiast website