Isuzu India, the domestic arm of Japanese auto maker, has officially declared that it has roped in Takashi Kikuchi as its new Managing Director. Reportedly, Kikuchi has been instrumental for the growth of Isuzu on the global platform and now he has been given the responsibility for the Indian market. He has been working for Isuzu Motors for more than 30 years and has given his best to the auto maker.
It must be noted that Isuzu forayed in the country during early 2013 with the opening of a sole dealership at Andhra Pradesh. However, the number of outlets has been increased to two with another showroom at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. As a part of its expansion strategy, Isuzu has signed an agreement with the state government of Andhra Pradesh to establish a production unit, which will roll out Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs). The proposed unit is based in SriCity, Southern Andhra Pradesh and the auto maker is looking ahead to manufacture around 100000 units each year, once the plant is fully operational.
As of now, the company has offered only one passenger car to the Indian buyers, named MU-7, which is imported from Thailand. MU-7 happens to be a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), which delivers a stiff competition to the market leader Toyota Fortuner and SsangYong Rexton. With a price tag of around Rs. 24 lakh, the 1.9 tonne model has been equipped with a 3 litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which belts out a maximum power of 160 bhp and 360 Nm of peak torque. Adding to the performance of this engine, it has been mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, which channelises the power to the rear wheels of the MU-7.
Another model, which has been introduced in the country, is a pick-up truck named D-Max. The vehicle has been priced at Rs. 8 lakh and is not included in the passenger vehicle segment. D-Max is also an imported model and squares off against the likes of Tata Xenon and Mahindra Genio.
