ISUZU aims to create new pick-up segment in India

Isuzu Motors India, a relatively late entrant in the Indian automobile market, is aiming to create a new pick-up segment with its products manufactured in the country.
"We have come to India to establish a segment. The pick-up vehicle is the most important product of ISUZU outside Japan where it is not sold. We aim to create a new pick-up segment in India both in the personal and commercial categories," deputy managing diretcor of ISUZU Motors India Hitoshi Kono told reporters at the launch of 'mu-X' SUV here today.
He said that so far the company had been manufacturing and exporting from its plant in Thailand.

"Now from our plant at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, the company will manufacture three pick-ups, namely V-Cross (for personal), S-Cab and Regular Cab (for the commercial segment) besides the SUV," he said.
In the last fiscal, the company sold 3000-odd units, comprising 2000 units of V-Cross and 1000 units of S-Cab and Regular Cab combines.
"In the current fiscal, the expected growth in the percentage volume terms is 15 per cent", he said.

Production in the Indian plant started from April 2016.
With an initial production capacity of 50,000 units per year, the AP plant could be ramped up to 1.2 lakh per year depending upon the demand.

From the AP plant, built at an investment of Rs 3000 crore, ISUZU plans to export to the SAARC countries as well as Middle East and Africa, company officials said.