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

The new warehouse investment has been a result of significant and sustained growth in the Asia Pacific market as the company looks to drive future growth.

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.

According to the latest agreement, the companies plan to co-develop electric heavy-duty trucks (both battery-electric and fuel-cell electric) for the European market.

Although a specific volume has not been agreed, L&F could produce enough to meet ONE’s needs at its gigafactory in Van Buren Township, where cell output could reach up to 20 GWh in 2027.

Vietnam’s commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw continued to decline in the fourth quarter of 2023, by over 16% to 14,877 units from already weak year-earlier sales of 17,766 units.

The Thai commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw plunged by 37% to 68,295 units in the fourth-quarter of 2023 from 108,498 units a year earlier.

The South Korean market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw declined by more than 5% to 59,190 units in the fourth quarter of 2023 from 62,497 units a year earlier.

The Philippine market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw declined by 10% to 30,656 units in the fourth quarter of 2023 from 34,131 units in the same period of the previous year, according to analysis of data from various industry sources.

Located around 150km northeast of Lisbon, the Tramagal plant produces the Canter and its electric sibling the eCanter. The facility is the third largest automobile manufacturing centre in Portugal and has produced 11,800 trucks to date, shipped to 33 European markets and Morocco.

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