Rumour: Isuzu planing 7-seater MPV to rival Toyota Innova

Japanese automaker, Isuzu is rumoured to be developing a seven-seater MPV, which it plans to introduce in India in a couple of year. Codenamed RU30, the MPV is expected to go into production in October 2016 and is likely to be launched in the festive season that year. A report by Economic Times claims that Isuzu plans to produce 40,000 units of the MPV annually.

Isuzu is expected to position the RU30 in the premium MPV segment, where it will compete primarily against the Toyota Innova. It is likely to be bigger than the Honda Mobilio and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and could use the 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 134 bhp diesel engine from the D-Max pick-up truck. The competition in the segment is set to get fierce with Toyota readying a new Innova and Mahindra working on an all-new Xylo. Other manufacturers are also likely to introduce more products in the segment over the coming years.

Isuzu has announced an investment of Rs 3,000 crore into a manufacturing facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. Production at this facility is expected to begin in 2016. However, before this plant is ready, the company will continue to assemble the MU-7 SUV and D-Max pick-up truck at the Hindustan Motors plant in Chennai.

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