Isuzu to focus on trucks in US
Former GM subsidiary abandons passenger and light commercials for the American marketIsuzu has chosen to end production and sales of the Ascender SUV and I-Series pick-ups for the US market.
The decision follows the announcement from GM that the corporation's Chevrolet and GMC divisions would stop producing the Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV and the Chev Colorado and GMC Canyon twins.
Isuzu was left without a basis for the company's badge-engineered Ascender SUV (Trailblazer) and I-Series light trucks (Colorado/Canyon). Both the GM and Isuzu variants of the pick-up are built on the same modified Rodeo platform that underpins the current model sold here as a Holden.
The decision was made somewhat easier by Isuzu's dwindling sales in North America over recent years. Just over 7000 units were sold in 2007 -- a piddling amount in a market as large as the US.
Isuzu will continue to sell the company's cab-over trucks in America.
The Hummer H3, which is built on the same platform as the Colorado and Canyon will continue in production, since it is built at a different plant from the two pick-up models.
The separation of Isuzu and GM in the continental US is now complete, although elsewhere Isuzu continues to market new and existing product, the Holden Rodeo being an Isuzu design with the Holden-built HFV6 (Alloytec) engine supplied to the company's Thai plant.
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