January's show will be the first Isuzu misses since it started importing cars from Japan, and more recently having them made in GM's
plants in North America, but to prove his company's intention of remaining in the U.S. market Letzgus was quick to point out that Isuzu would be stepping up its auto show attendance, showing up for the first time in areas where Isuzu has traditionally done better, such as Sacramento, California, San Antonio, Texas, Raleigh, North Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
But despite what Letzgus says, the majority of auto market analysts don't believe that the future will bode well for Isuzu. Its tiny lineup of GM-sourced products will hinder, rather than help it get back on its feet, and factoring in that it is attempting to lure in buyers within a declining large-SUV market to boot, well, the picture hardly looks rosy. While the Ascender isn't full-size, it is larger than midsize, which means its large displacement inline six-cylinder and even less fuel conscious V8 won't attract those looking to save a few dollars at the pump.
And outside of its commercial operations, what purpose does Isuzu serve? That's a hard question its executives should be asking themselves during round table meetings. Does repackaging a duo of GM vehicles truly benefit the consumer in any real way? No, not at all. Reason enough for sales to
be falling so dramatically. Any stock market analyst would run, not walk away from this scenario. The first thing any savvy investor researches, is whether or not the company being considered has the rights to a proprietary product. Anything other than that, means that the company is merely a shell reselling another company's products under a different brand name. And if so, that company had better incorporate some strong licensing agreements for a product nobody else has, or it won't last long, let alone realize a good investment.
Unless something can be done quickly to bolster Isuzu's product lineup with more vehicles, better suited to a changing market and unique in the industry, we may be seeing the last days for this automaker's retail sales division in North America. As for us folks up here in Canada, still tooling around in decade-old Troopers, it hardly makes much of difference either way.
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| Isuzu's tiny lineup of GM-sourced products will hinder, rather than help it get back on its feet. (Photo: Isuzu) |
But despite what Letzgus says, the majority of auto market analysts don't believe that the future will bode well for Isuzu. Its tiny lineup of GM-sourced products will hinder, rather than help it get back on its feet, and factoring in that it is attempting to lure in buyers within a declining large-SUV market to boot, well, the picture hardly looks rosy. While the Ascender isn't full-size, it is larger than midsize, which means its large displacement inline six-cylinder and even less fuel conscious V8 won't attract those looking to save a few dollars at the pump.
And outside of its commercial operations, what purpose does Isuzu serve? That's a hard question its executives should be asking themselves during round table meetings. Does repackaging a duo of GM vehicles truly benefit the consumer in any real way? No, not at all. Reason enough for sales to
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| Unless something can be done quickly to bolster Isuzu's product lineup with more vehicles, better suited to a changing market, we may be seeing the last days for this automaker's retail sales division in North America - its commercial truck division is much stronger. (Photo: Isuzu) |
Unless something can be done quickly to bolster Isuzu's product lineup with more vehicles, better suited to a changing market and unique in the industry, we may be seeing the last days for this automaker's retail sales division in North America. As for us folks up here in Canada, still tooling around in decade-old Troopers, it hardly makes much of difference either way.
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