Japanese manufacturer Isuzu’s latest N-Series truck, the ‘NRR-EV’, will be assembled by Builtmore in Charlotte, Michigan and delivered to customers from this month onwards.

The two companies began their engine collaboration in 2019 when they signed the 'Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership'.

The zero-emissions “Erga EV” was first unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show last October.

Jointly developed by the two companies, the engine will be integrated into Isuzu’s new medium-duty truck range. The engine is set to go into series production in Q4 2024, at Isuzu’s engine plant in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

Isuzu announced it has agreed to invest USD30m in Gatik AI, the US-based autonomous driving technology company, to strengthen its autonomous logistics programme.

The brand’s locally assembled Euro V range now comprises the heavy-duty UD Quester and medium-duty UD Croner models.

Isuzu said its new PUV was developed to support the Philippine Department of Transportation’s PUV Modernization Programme (PUVMP), which aims to replace the ageing fleet of “jeepney” public transport vehicles across the Philippines.

The “Isuzu Transformation IX – Growth to 2030” mid-term business plan released in April is designed to transform the truck-maker into a commercial mobility solutions company by 2030 “to address challenges faced by customers and society through transport”.

Isuzu Motors Ltd, headquartered in Yokohama in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, unveiled its first battery-powered D-Max one-ton pickup truck at the Bangkok International Motor Show in April

T&BB decided to delve into the reasons for this sales success story by interviewing the top management of Stuart Beeton, Head of Sales & Marketing and Peter Murphy, Managing Director of Isuzu Truck UK.

As part of the agreement Isuzu states it will make a substantial investment in the local Nagoya-based autonomous driving technology company.

Isuzu and four other partners include Mitsubishi Corporation, Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu Company, Aisan Technology Company and A-Drive Inc.