Isuzu

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Isuzu Motors
)
For other uses, see Isuzu (disambiguation).

Isuzu Motors Ltd.
ProductsCommercial vehicles
Diesel engines
Diesel generators
Passenger cars (until 2002)[1]
RevenueIncrease ¥3,195.53 billion (FY2023)[citation needed]
Increase ¥253.54 billion (FY2023)
Increase ¥151.74 billion (FY2023)
Total assetsIncrease ¥3,046,777 million (FY2023)
Total equityIncrease ¥1,510,232 million (FY2023)
Number of employees
8,056 (44,495 consolidated)
Subsidiaries
List
Websitewww.isuzu.co.jp Edit this at Wikidata

Isuzu Motors Ltd. (

automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines
.

The company also has a number of subsidiaries and joint ventures, including

Isuzu South Africa, Isuzu Philippines, Taiwan Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Vietnam, Isuzu Motors India and BYD Isuzu
.

Isuzu has assembly and manufacturing plants in

Hokkaidō
prefectures. Isuzu-branded vehicles are sold in most commercial markets worldwide. Isuzu's primary market focus is on commercial diesel-powered truck, buses and construction.

Named after the Isuzu River, the kanji of Isuzu (五十鈴) mean "fifty bells".

History

Isuzu Sumida bus 1927
Wolseley CP series (Japanese built)

Isuzu Motors' history began in 1916, when Tokyo

railroads unusable due to the twisted tracks. Heavy construction vehicles were imported from the United States companies GMC and Ford to aid in recovery and reconstruction, and the company sought to contribute by producing locally built construction and heavy duty vehicles. In 1927 the company introduced its 2-ton load capacity "Sumida P-type truck" equipped with an A6 engine and a 1-ton vehicle "Sumida M-type No. 1 bus" equipped with an A4 engine. The name "sumida" was used from the Sumida River
as the factory at Fukagawa was close by.

In 1929

Yasuda Zaibatsu. One of the vehicles it produced for the war effort was the Sumida M.2593 armored personnel carrier. In 1942, Hino Heavy Industries was split off from Tokyo Automobile Industries, becoming a separate corporation.[6] After the Second World War, the company was finally renamed to Isuzu (after the Isuzu River) in 1949, following a meeting with the Japanese Government's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI)
.

Etymology

The word Isuzu translated into English means "fifty bells"—hence the focus on "bell" in both the later Bellel and the Bellett. The name was used from the Isuzu River that flows near to the Ise Grand Shrine, one of Japan's most sacred and revered shrines.

The first Isuzu emblem, 1949–1974
Second generation Isuzu emblem, 1974–1991
Current Isuzu emblem, 1991–present

Post World War history

Truck and bus production of the

Isuzu TY in 1966. The company is one of the primary manufacturers of commercial duty trucks and busses for public transportation, to include the Isuzu Cubic, Isuzu Gala and the Isuzu Erga along with the Isuzu Giga
.

Corporate partnerships

Beginning in 1953 the

General Motors
.

Linking with General Motors

Isuzu 117 Coupe

While the company had a long relationship with GM going back to the 1920s, the first investment of GM taking a 34% stake in Isuzu was seen in 1972, when the

T-body Chevrolet Chevette. A modified version was sold in the United States as Buick's Opel by Isuzu, and in Australia as the Holden Gemini. As a result of the collaboration, certain American GM products were sold to Japanese customers through Isuzu dealerships. Holden's Statesman was also briefly sold (246 examples) with Isuzu badging in Japan during the seventies.[11] Isuzu exports also increased considerably as a result of being able to use GM networks, from 0.7% of production in 1973 to 35.2% by 1976; this while overall production increased more than fourfold in the same period.[10]
As a result of the GM joint venture, Isuzu engines were also used by existing GM divisions (some USA-market Chevrolet automobiles had Isuzu powertrains e.g. the Chevette and early S10/S15 trucks manufactured prior to 1985).

1966 Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT (PR90)

In 1981 Isuzu began selling consumer and commercial vehicles under their own brand in the United States. The

Fuji Heavy Industries (the parent company of Subaru). Shortly afterwards, the Lafayette, Indiana
plant became operational.

Contraction begins

1967 Isuzu Unicab, a two-wheel-drive utility vehicle

Isuzu ended US sales of the Impulse (Geo Storm) in 1992, and the following year it stopped exporting the Stylus (the basis for the Geo Spectrum), the last Isuzu-built car sold in the US.

In 1993 Isuzu began a new vehicle exchange program with

J-car) was a Honda Accord, while Honda received the 2-door MU
as the Jazz and the 4-door Trooper as the Horizon.

Isuzu's United States sales reached a peak in 1996 after the introduction of the

Isuzu Hombre pickup, a badge-engineered GM truck (using the sheetmetal of the Brazil-market Chevrolet S10). Isuzu resurrected the beloved Amigo in 1998, before changing the name of the 2-door convertible to Rodeo Sport in 2001 in an attempt to associate it with the better selling 4-door Rodeo. The new Axiom launched in 2001, with the fictional salesman Joe Isuzu from 1980s advertising campaigns brought back to promote it. Isuzu sales began to slide due to the aging of the Rodeo and Trooper
, and poor management and a lack of assistance from GM. The Rodeo Sport was discontinued in 2003, while production of the Rodeo and Axiom ceased a year later. By this point sales in North America had slowed to just 27,188, with the discontinued Rodeo and Axiom making up 71% of that total.

In 1998 GM and Isuzu formed DMAX, a joint venture to produce diesel engines. GM raised its stake in Isuzu to 49% the following year, effectively gaining control of the company, and quickly followed this up by appointing an American GM executive to head Isuzu's North American Operations. This marked the first time a non-Japanese executive had held such a high position at Isuzu. In 2001 GM and Isuzu announced plans to share distribution networks and for Chevrolet to market an Isuzu product.[15]

Isuzu VehiCROSS

The production version of the VehiCROSS was introduced to the US in 1999, but met with mixed reviews, as its high price tag, unique styling and two-door configuration did not seem to meet with market demands. Production of the VehiCROSS and other sport utility vehicles, including the Trooper, ended in 2001 as part of a major financial reorganization which eliminated almost 10,000 jobs.[15] GM had been pushing the company to focus exclusively on producing commercial vehicles and engines.[15]

The number of Isuzu dealerships in the US began a rapid decline, and by 2005 had only 2 models: the Ascender (a re-badged GMC Envoy) and the i-series pickup truck (a rebadged Chevrolet Colorado). At this point, Isuzu in the US was primarily a distributor of medium duty trucks such as the

SUV
for 2007 were shelved when Isuzu Motors Limited decided that a new SUV would be too risky, instead proceeding with the launch of the i-series trucks. 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 announced its first profit in years, mainly due to restructuring cuts.

In early 2002, Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) bought Isuzu's share of Lafayette, Indiana plant, and Subaru Isuzu Automotive (SIA) became

Isuzu Motors Polska and Isuzu Motors Germany, and the rights to three types of diesel engine technology from Isuzu.[17] by paying 50 billion yen (about US$425 million).[16] GM also paid 10 billion yen (about US$85 million) for a 12% stake in the recapitalized company.[16] GM wrote off its investment in Isuzu in 2001.[18]

Production of the 7-passenger Ascender ended in February 2006 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. GM ended its equity investment in Isuzu and sold all its shares to Mitsubishi Corporation, Itochu and Mizuho Corporate Bank; both GM and Isuzu claimed the companies would continue their relationship, but there was no word as of April 12, 2006 on the effect this would have on DMAX operations.

Isuzu LT132L on a Hong Kong motorway
Isuzu LV486R CNG City Bus in Bangkok with the CNG-MPI Engine

In June 2006 Isuzu and GM agreed to establish a joint venture called "LCV Platform Engineering Corporation (LPEC)" to develop a new pickup. Isuzu said it would use its engineering expertise to develop the pickup and GM would develop derivatives based on the integrated platform. Mitsubishi Corp became Isuzu's largest shareholder in October 2006, after it converted all the preferred shares in Isuzu it had held since 2005 into common stock, increasing its shareholding from 3.5% to 15.65%.[19]

In November 2006 Toyota purchased 5.9% of Isuzu, becoming the third largest shareholder behind Itochu and Mitsubishi Corporation, and the two companies agreed to study possible business collaboration focusing on the areas of R&D and production of diesel engines, related emissions-control, and other environmental technologies. In January 2007 Isuzu and General Motors updated the LCV range with a 3.0 litre common rail diesel engine that had far more torque and power than its predecessor. In August 2007 Isuzu and Toyota agreed to develop a 1.6-liter diesel engine for use in Toyota vehicles sold in European markets. At this point, details of development, production and supply of the diesel engine were still under discussion, but in principle, Isuzu would play the leading role, with production scheduled to begin around 2012.

On 30 January 2008, Isuzu announced its complete withdrawal from the US market,[20] effective 31 January 2009. It would continue to provide support and parts. The decision was due to lack of sales.[21] Some of the lack of sales was blamed on consumer experiences with low quality engines and service.[22] 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.[23] The company continued to sell commercial vehicles in the US.[24]

Isuzu and Toyota shelved development of a clean diesel engine in December 2008.[25]

On 29 January 2009, Isuzu and GM announced that they were 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 instead ceased production of the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick vehicles on 31 July 2009.[26]

In July 2016, Isuzu and Mazda agreed to collaborate to produce the next-generation pickup trucks for Mazda outside of North America.[27] As a result, the third-generation Mazda BT-50 is built by Isuzu in Thailand since 2020.

Isuzu's plant in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh began operations in 2016.[28]

In August 2018, Toyota sold off its 5.9% stake in Isuzu.[29]

In December 2019, Isuzu announced that it had signed a non-binding

Volvo sell UD Trucks to them.[30] In November 2020, the companies announced that they have signed the "final agreements", making the memorandum of understanding binding.[31] In April 2021, Isuzu completed UD Trucks acquisition.[32]

In March 2021, Isuzu, Hino, and Hino's parent Toyota announced the creation of a strategic partnership between the three companies. Toyota acquired a 4.6% stake in Isuzu while the latter plans to acquire Toyota shares for an equivalent value. The three companies said they would form a new joint venture by April called Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation with the aim of developing fuel cell and electric light trucks. Toyota would own an 80% stake in the venture while Hino and Isuzu would own 10% each.[33]

Market presence

Isuzu Gemini with European (Maltese) registration plates
Isuzu NHR (Elf) light truck
Isuzu NovoCiti Life serving in Vilnius public transport, Lithuania

In most of Asia and Africa, Isuzu is known primarily for trucks of all sizes, after Isuzu dropped all sales of sedans and compact cars in the late 1990s due to plummeting sales. In the days when Isuzu sold passenger cars, they were known for focusing on the diesel-engined niche. In 1983, for instance, long before the explosion in diesel sales, diesels represented 63.4% of their passenger car production.[34] In 2009, Isuzu abandoned the United States consumer market due to lack of sales. 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 Motors America discontinued the sale of passenger vehicles in the United States on January 31, 2009. The company explained to its dealers that it had not been able to secure replacements for the

Navistar International.[35]

In Australia, Isuzu was for many years a major supplier of light commercial and domestic vehicles to Holden (General Motors). However, by 2008, Holden was sourcing few Isuzus. At this time Isuzu began to sell the D-Max under the Isuzu name.

Isuzu's entry in the Thai market proved to be one of its most successful. Its presence in the country began in 1966 when it established a manufacturing facility for pick-up trucks in the

Chachoengsao province to support further production expansion. By 2017, Isuzu has been exporting pick-up trucks, with shipments reaching North America, Latin America, Australia, and Japan.[37] In the same year, it announced that its profit climbed 7 percent and has doubled its annual truck production to meet overseas demands.[38]

Subsidiaries and joint ventures

Japan

The Fujisawa Plant was built and opened for production November 1961. It is located at 8 Tsuchidana,

Tochigi, Tochigi
, is where the engines are currently built. There was a factory at Tono Machi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Pref. that closed March 2005 that manufactured passenger vehicles.

Mimamori-kun online service

Mimamori-kun, which means to watch, monitor, or observe in

GPS satellite tracking services, and began February 2004. It is connected to the internet and provides government mandated driver activity logs
, and records how long the driver was on-duty and how much time was spent driving. The service also records when the driver took lunch breaks, where the truck stopped and for how long, and when the driver logged off for his duty shift.

The service has been modified for personal use in Japan to keep track of family members, to include the health status of elderly persons and pinpoint the location of children for safety purposes.[40]

Some of the main features include the wireless Internet

Digital Tachograph, the first of its kind in Japan, combined with hands-free communication, voice guidance, and text messages displayed from the dispatch office. The system also has a password-enabled vehicle theft prevention feature that will not let the vehicle start without the driver having entered a password.[citation needed
]

International operations

Former international operations

Isuzu Diesel Engines / Power Train division

Diesel engines are a major part of the Isuzu Motor's business with over 20 million engines worldwide.[clarification needed][41] The diesel power division, known as the PowerTrain Division, of Isuzu Motors America, is located in Plymouth, Michigan.[41]

North American Master Distributors

Southwest Products[42] - Covering California, Nevada and Arizona.[42]

United Engines[42]

Mack Boring Parts[42]

M & L Engine[42]

Isuzu Diesel powered equipment

Ag Equipment

  • Harrington Seed Destructor[43]

Construction equipment

  • Paving equipment produced by CRAFCO. It manufacturers a variety of paving equipment that is powered by Isuzu diesel engines.[44]

Passenger, bus and commercial vehicles

Main article: List of Isuzu vehicles
Isuzu CXZ (Giga) heavy truck
Citibus (New Zealand)
2005 Isuzu D-max Spacecab Hi-lander in Thailand
Isuzu CQA650A/T
Isuzu LV223S
Isuzu LV423R
Isuzu MT111QB

Current passenger vehicles

  • 2002–present, D-Max - pickup truck, a top selling diesel sold in the majority of Isuzu markets (excluding Japan and North America).
  • 2013–present MU-X - SUV, successor of Isuzu MU-7, developed from D-Max.

Current commercial vehicles

  • Como - light commercial van (rebadged Nissan Caravan)
  • Elf - light duty truck (N-series)
  • Erga - low deck heavy duty bus
  • Erga-J
    - heavy duty bus
  • Erga Mio - low deck medium duty bus
  • Forward - medium duty truck (F-series)
  • Giga - heavy duty truck (C-series, E-series)
  • Gala - heavy duty bus
  • Gala Mio - medium duty bus
  • Journey - light duty bus
  • Journey-J
    - medium duty bus
  • Utilimaster Corporation.[45]
  • Traga/Traviz - light commercial vehicle

UD Trucks vehicles

Further information: UD Trucks

From April 2021 onwards, UD Trucks' products are part of the Isuzu company lineup.

Former passenger vehicles

Former commercial vehicles

  • Bison - light commercial pickup truck, a rebadged second generation Mitsubishi Delica pickup truck for Indonesian market (not related to fourth generation Isuzu Elf that was sold under Bison name in Indonesia in the early 1990s).
  • Fargo - light commercial van
  • GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak
    ).

Race cars

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

Concept cars

Buses (Philippines)

  • LV314K
  • LV314L
  • CJM470
  • CJM500
  • LT132
  • LV423
  • LV123
  • PABFTR33PLB
  • FTR33P
  • FTR45
  • PABFVR33P

Buses (Thailand)

  • CQM275hp
  • CQA650A/T
  • JCR600YZNN
  • LT112P
  • LV223S
  • LV423R
  • LV486R
  • LV771
  • MT111L
  • MT111QB

Buses (Ukraine)

  • Bogdan buses - sold under Isuzu brand outside Ukraine

Military vehicles

Isuzu HTS12G 2.5 ton truck

See also

References

  1. ^ Jackson, Kathy (4 February 2008). "Isuzu's collapse". Automotive News. Crain Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Из России ушел еще один японский автопроизводитель". Banki.ru (in Russian). 14 July 2023.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-517-61777-3
    .
  4. ^ "Isuzu Website". Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-4-86396-183-8
    .
  6. ^ "Investor Relations: Company History". Isuzu Motors. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  7. ^ Ishikawa, p. 7
  8. ^ Yamaguchi, Jack (February 1968). "14th Tokyo Motor Show: & Still Trying Harder". Road & Track. p. 113.
  9. ^ "Isuzu" (brochure) (in Japanese). Isuzu Motors. October 1967: 8–9. 42.10. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ a b Ruiz, p. 131
  11. ISBN 978-1-921295-17-1
    .
  12. ^
    Nihon Keizai Shimbun
    . Tokyo: 1. 18 August 1981.
  13. Nihon Keizai Shimbun
    . Tokyo: 10. 18 January 1986.
  14. ^ Truett, Richard Truett (21 October 1993). "Expert Reviews: 1993 Isuzu Rodeo". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Krebs, Michelle (1 July 2001). "Isuzu's U.S. Presence Leans on G.M." The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  16. ^ a b c "Isuzu falls back after GM rescue plan". CNN.com. 15 August 2002. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Press Release: Isuzu Motors Limited Unveils the New Three-year Business Plan and Re-capitalization Plan, involving Decrease of Capital and Debt-for-equity Conversion". www.Isuzu.co.jp. Isuzu Motors. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  18. ^ Belson, Ken (15 August 2002). "G.M. Moves to Increase Control of Some Isuzu Units". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Mitsubish becomes top shareholder of Isuzu". Autoblog. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  20. ^ Bensinger, Ken (31 January 2008). "Isuzu quitting U.S. car market". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 January 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
  21. ^ a b Johnson, Drew (30 January 2008). "Isuzu to leave U.S. market". Leftlanenews.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  22. ^ "Consumer complaints about Isuzu - Engine Failure". Consumeraffairs.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  23. ^ Neff, John (30 January 2008). "CONFIRMED: Isuzu abandoning U.S. market". Autoblog. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  24. ^ "Isuzu executive says competition helped push it out of North American market - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com". Cnbc.com. Retrieved 29 November 2010. [dead link]
  25. ^ "Isuzu, Toyota Shelve Development of Clean Diesel Engine | industryweek.com | Industry Week". industryweek.com. 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  26. ^ "GM drops medium-duty trucks, opens battery lab". The Detroit News. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  27. ^ Counts, Reese (11 July 2016). "Mazda and Isuzu to collaborate on a new pickup truck". Autoblog.
  28. ^ Isuzu Motors opens manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh Archived 2017-01-05 at the Wayback Machine, Economic Times, April 27, 2016
  29. ^ Isuzu and Toyota to Dissolve Capital Ties
  30. ^ "Isuzu to buy Japanese truck unit from Volvo in $2.3 billion deal". Japan Times. 19 December 2019.
  31. ^ De Guzman, Marcus (1 December 2020). "Isuzu and Volvo have finalized the terms of their alliance". Auto Industriya. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Isuzu Completes Acquisition of UD Trucks". Heavy Duty Trucking. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  33. ^ "Toyota and Isuzu to take stake in each other to co-develop new vehicles". Japan Times. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  34. ISBN 0-910714-16-9. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )
  35. ^ "Company Info - Budget Truck Rental". Budgettruck.com. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  36. ^
    ISBN 9789814324113
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  37. ^ "Isuzu interim profit seen climbing 7% as Thai sales recover". Nikkei Asian Review. 3 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  38. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived
    from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  39. ^ "Official press release from Isuzu concerning Mimamori-kun". Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  40. ^ "Mimamori-kun personal service (Japanese)". Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  41. ^ a b "Isuzu Diesel Engines - Home". www.isuzuengines.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  42. ^ a b c d e "Isuzu Diesel Master Distributor List" (PDF). www.isuzuengines.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 October 2016.
  43. ^ "Case Study - Isuzu Diesel Engines". isuzudiesel.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  44. ^ "Pavement Preservation & Maintenance Equipment Documents | CRAFCO". www.crafco.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  45. ^ InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report. "Indiana Facility to Produce Isuzu Commercial Vehicles - Newsroom - Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick". Insideindianabusiness.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  46. ^ "1991 Isuzu Como". www.carstyling.ru. 2 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

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