Isuzu Motors, the well known Japanese auto maker, is planning to establish a new manufacturing unit in the Indian auto market, which will have a proposed production potential of 1 lakh units per year. Reportedly, the new plant of auto maker will be completely operational in a span of 3 to 5 years. When asked about the location of the new unit, the Deputy Managing Director of Isuzu Motors India, Shigeru Wakabayashi was quoted as saying, “We have not yet decided the location of the plant. But it will be in South India. It (India) is a huge market. We would be here for the long-term.”
Reportedly, the auto maker is planning to set up its proposed plant in Coimbatore as Wakabayashi further added, “People in this region have purchasing power and the hilly terrain will be an ideal market for these vehicles.” Industry experts believe that the Isuzu Motors selected South India over the northern region because the auto maker already has a completely operation plant in Thailand from where it can easily ship the components to the south western region of India.
At present, Isuzu has offered two pick-up trucks and a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to the domestic buyers. In pick-up truck segment, two models are being introduced, comprising a single cabin and a double cabin vehicle. Reportedly, the single cabin version is tagged with a price of Rs. 6.6 lakh, whereas its double cabin costs Rs. 7.8 lakh. The SUV is sold for a price consideration of Rs. 23.2 lakh, which clearly justifies its competitive pricing in the Indian market. Reportedly, the SUV from Isuzu competes against the likes of Ford Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and Hyundai Santa Fe, among others.
Isuzu Motors is currently importing its models from Thailand and has established its showrooms in Coimbatore and Hyderabad. However, the Coimbatore-based outlet in will start accepting the bookings of models from March 2013. The company official said that future operations of the auto maker will depend on the response gathered by domestic buyers. Expressing his views on the Indian market, Wakabayashi said, “We are in Thailand for the last 50 years. For us India is a market with huge potential which we cannot afford to ignore.”
