Isuzu Wallpaper
The Isuzu brand is one of the least known of the Japanese car brands
sold in the North American market. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi,
and Subaru are all well recognized and respected Japanese makes while
Isuzu lives perpetually in their shadow and underneath the wings of
world auto giant, General Motors. Let's take a look at Isuzu and what
makes this car company tick.
In 1981, Isuzu followed competing Japanese automakers and entered the
US, the world's largest automobile market in terms of annual sales.
Getting a late start, Isuzu had some catching up to do as each of its
Japanese rivals had already established themselves in the lucrative
American market. Indeed, it has always been perceived by automobile
experts that if an automaker was going to be successful in the world,
then they needed to establish a foothold in the highly competitive U.S.
market.
Earlier models from Isuzu included the I-Mark, a compact four door
sedan; the Stylus, which replaced the I-Mark; the Trooper, a compact
SUV; the Impulse, a sporty two door coupe; and the P'up, a compact pick
up truck.
Unfortunately for Isuzu, bad publicity and a small marketing network
have limited the brand in its quest to grow. A report completed by
industry watchdog, Consumer Report's, alleged that 1995 and 1996 model
year Troopers, "...have too great a tendency to roll over in certain
situations." Consumer Report's also gave the vehicle a rare "not
acceptable" rating, something very few vehicles have ever received by
the group over the years. In a previous negative report during the 1980s
for the Suzuki Samurai, sales of the Samurai plunged. Indeed, Suzuki is
another Japanese make with limited appeal. Could Consumer Report's
findings adversely effected both companies? Some experts believe this to
be true, judging by their respectively small market shares.
Eventually, many of the original models in the Isuzu line up were
replaced to give the automaker a better footing in the U.S. During the
early 1990s, Isuzu decided to stop importing cars, concentrating solely
on pick up trucks and SUVS. An overhauled Trooper joined the Amigo and
Rodeo in the Isuzu line up followed a number of years later by the
VehiCross.
Isuzu's thrust into the U.S has all but stopped and, for now, they do
not import a single vehicle into the U.S., relying instead on their
relationship with GM, who owns 12% of the company, to sell rebadged GM
vehicles as Isuzus. At last count, Isuzus sales were averaging about
1,000 vehicles per month, certainly not a sustainable figure for any car
producer.
So, what keeps Isuzu going? A few things: diesel engines and GM. As a
world class manufacturer of diesel engines, Isuzu provides engines for -
you guessed it - GM trucks. Filling a glaring void in the GM line up,
Isuzu has turned from an automotive importer to an automotive supplier;
at least as far as the North American market is concerned. GM, in turn,
has invested heavily in Isuzu and together they have joint ventures
around the globe including a shared stake in an Australian operation.
The long term strategy for Isuzu is unclear, but it does appear that the
North American market is unsustainable at least as far as the passenger
car market goes. The company does have a line of commercial vehicles
that are sold in the US which are favored by companies needing an
economical, but compact commercial truck in their fleet. Couple that
with their relationship with GM, Isuzu's future may well lay in the
areas of engine supplier and commercial vehicle provider, two niches
that have been successful so far for the Japanese company.
