Isuzu D-Max V-Cross commences production

Isuzu Motors have commenced their local manufacturing at their new plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. The plant was inaugurated by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and the first car was to be rolled of the production line was the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross.

Internationally, Isuzu already has manufacturing facilities set up in Japan, Thailand and USA. This new plant in Sri City is spread over a sprawling 107 acres and currently has an annual capacity of 50,000 units, which can be scaled up to 120,000 units if required. While nothing is being exported here at the moment, Isuzu haven’t ruled out the possibility of it and seem to be keen on exports in the future. Masanori Katayama, President, Isuzu Motors Limited, said, “India is a key part of Isuzu Motors’ global growth strategy. This new plant in India will not only cater to the requirements of the growing Indian market, but in future it will also serve as a key manufacturing hub for ISUZU’s global operations.”

Currently, the D-Max V-Cross manufactured here features 70 per cent localisation and this will increase in the future. Isuzu has tied up with 120 suppliers, including tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers who will be essential in providing the components required to manufacture vehicles here. Apart from exporting vehicles, Isuzu are also looking into the viability of exporting components to other parts of the world.

All variants of the D-Max being sold in India will be manufactured at this facility. This includes the new five-seater D-Max V-Cross 4×4 and the older D-Max Crew Cab available as both four-door and two-door options. The launch of the D-Max V-Cross is slated for sometime in July or August and bookings will commence soon.