Japanese manufacturers Isuzu recently took their first steps towards having an indigenous manufacturing presence in India with the ground breaking of their new factory in Andhra Pradesh. They aren’t stopping there however, as they raised the curtains on their next product to be sold in India after the MU-7 luxury SUV – the D-Max Space Cab pick up truck.
Pickup trucks are quite popular abroad, particularly in the US, but this genre of utility vehicle hasn’t found as much prominence on Indian shores, but Isuzu are looking to change that. The D-Max Space Cab produces a 136 PS @ 3600 RPM from its 2.5-litre diesel engine. Its most unique feature though is the 1.5 feet of cabin space available behind the driver’s seat. The D-Max has also proved to be capable of taking quite a pounding, as the pickup has been used at Dakar Rally, Australasian Safari Rally, Asia Cross Country Rally, Dubai Desert Challenge and others in the past.
Takashi Kikuchi, President and Managing Director, Isuzu Motors India, was present at the unveiling and spoke about the D-Max. He said, “In India, the pickup truck segment is one of the largest and fastest growing segments in Commercial Vehicles (CV), accounting to 35% of the total CV market. With the growth in the Indian economy and the resulting pickup truck market dynamics, we estimate India to be the world’s largest 1 Tn pickup truck market by 2023. The Isuzu D-MAX is one of the world’s favourite pickup truck brands, preferred world over by the Owner driven customers”
Story: Harket Suchde
