Isuzu compact SUV developed for global markets could be considered for India but the final decision is not yet taken
Isuzu is planning to strengthen its portfolio as the company recently introduced the MU-X facelift model in India and the SUV was priced very aggressively against the competitors. The Japanese manufacturer is developing a new small SUV for global markets and it could be considered for the Indian market.
But the final decision is not yet taken and the compact SUV segment registered more growth than any other segment in India as the potential is really huge. Isuzu will currently focus on its existing product lineup for growth as the company is new to our market.
Ken Takashima, Deputy Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Isuzu Motors India said that they will be bringing out variations of our current line-up for the future and the company feels that they can do a lot more to improve in order to meet customer requirements product-wise.
Isuzu is also planning to locally manufacture MU-X at its Andhra Pradesh plant as they currently import CKD units from Thailand. When asked about this Takashima said that they are constantly working with local suppliers and if there is a chance of better and getting more reasonably priced parts, they will certainly go for it.
Isuzu is actively building relationships with the suppliers and increasing localization in its products. The company currently sells MU-X and D-Max pickup models locally.
All models of Isuzu are powered by diesel engines and the upcoming emission norms will certainly increase cost as they need to make some changes for the engine. The company is also looking at the possibility of introducing hybrid options for existing products in India and they already sell hybrid SUVs in Japan.
Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors are sourcing diesel engines from Fiat as the development cost of new diesel engines are really high and Isuzu is also looking at the possibility of sharing its diesel engines with other manufacturers and they are already doing this in the US, as the company supplies engines for Chevrolet.