[TusharK]

Isuzu Motors India has announced the appointment of Rajesh Mittal to the post of President.



Mittal is the first person of Indian origin to head the company. He succeeds Wataru Nakano, who will assume a new assignment as Head of Isuzu Vietnam Operations from April 2023.

Rajesh Mittal joined the top management team as President of Isuzu Engineering Business Centre India and as Deputy President at Isuzu Motors India in February 2022.



Yasuhito Kondo who was responsible for the Regional Management Office at Isuzu Motors, Japan, takes charge as Deputy President, Isuzu Motors India. Kondo has 28 years of experience in the areas of sales operations and business strategy.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Arsenic]

I genuinely wonder what numbers Isuzu India survives off. The sad part is, this could easily just be rectified by bringing in their newer cars. If I were Rajesh Mittal, here’s what I’d be doing:

1. First, work on expanding sales and service outlets. New launches should be supported well by excellent after-sales. Isuzu may build typically Japanese reliable workhorses, but a major aspect of reliability is being easy and convenient to repair. The dealer situation is also atrocious: the nearest Isuzu dealer near me is 15km away, and according to Google Maps, apparently it’s the only Isuzu passenger car dealer in Bombay - this is a massive turn-off for any potential Isuzu buyer.

2. Bring the new MU-X and D-Max and undercut the Fortuner/Hilux duo. Slowly, the sales will start rolling in. Good initial pricing will be key in reversing all the collateral damage to the brand image that the management of Isuzu have done in recent years. The D-Max even today remains a popular choice for off-road enthusiasts, and the MU-X can fill in the gap left by the Alturas for a VFM large SUV.




3. Leverage the SML partnership more. While I understand this may not be under Mr. Mittal’s control, I would definitely want to utilise the SML partnership better. Base variants of the D-Max have been a hit in the CV market, so what’s stopping them from bringing in the Elf and Traviz pictured below?




Or why not tap into the HGV market with some smart launches such as the Forward or Giga? Or utilise the partnership with Hino in Japan to introduce hybrid buses like the Blue Ribbon and S’Elega?

[4x4addict]

Big yawwn this news article. What are these guys doing here in India anyways??

Now that ford is left and they are the only competitor for Fortuner shouldn't' they at least attempt a fight like ford did? Or have they already accepted defeat and silently plan to leave the country with their tail in between their legs?

[SaiSW]

Weird company this. For some reason, every person I know who have an idea of what Isuzu is, knows about their reliability. One of the issues with Ford was that their old products (and the maintenance associated with them) left them with some considerable baggage to carry with their newer gen cars. Isuzu, as far as I know, doesn't have a lot of negative baggage (as far as reliability is concerned). If they manage to expand their presence here and atleast try to compete instead of milking the D-Max dry till it runs out of it's social media influencer propelled popularity, then we might actually see a strong competitor for the Fortuner.

Right now, this company is like a ship without it's sails, just drifting in the water with no sense of direction.

[rakesh_r]

Before buying the Gurkha, we were seriously considering the V-Cross. Had to reject because of the atrocious pricing. I just couldn’t digest the fact on what the initial pricing was and what the current pricing is, and the current engine option, I still prefer the old 2.5L. The abysmal sales numbers, since I had an scross 1.6, didn’t want to go through the same phase. We were almost about to book, but one question by the wife on Isuzu’s possible fate like Ford brought me down to my senses.