You may or may not know that Isuzu has decided to pack up its toys and leave the sandbox. Yes, it will no longer sell trucks or SUVs in the US market. Not much of a loss since all they sold were rebadged Chevy Colorados and Chevy Trailblazers. So why didn't they try to sell this KB truck they sell worldwide?

 

ISUZU didn't want to spend the MONEY getting it US CERTIFIED.  

I don't know what the deal was with Isuzu's U.S. operations. I think at some point, they just gave up. Probably about 8-10 years ago, they just didn't care anymore. The commercial division has always been strong, but the consumer side has been in a decline for quite a while.  

Isuzu did not sell the D-Max pickup in the United States because of the "chicken tax," the 25-percent tariff on all pickup trucks imported to the United States.

There are currently no pickup trucks on the market in the U.S. that are built outside the country. Mazda's B-Series is based on the Ford Ranger; Mitsubishi's Raider is based on the Dodge Dakota; Toyota, Nissan and Honda build their pickups in the Midwest. The chicken tax is the reason. Manufacturers could import trucks to the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s because the yen was so weak that they could still sell them profitably here, but that hasn't been true for many years -- that's why they all built plants here.

It's not quite accurate to say that the Isuzu i-290/i-370 Pickups are rebadged Chevy Colorados. The Colorado, GMC Canyon and Isuzu Pickups are the North American versions of a truck developed jointly by Isuzu Motors Limited and General Motors Corporation. In fact, Isuzu was the lead engineering partner in the development of the pickup, and Isuzu's version came on the market (in Thailand) a full fifteen months before the Colorado and Canyon were introduced here in the U.S.

Thanks for giving me the chance to clear up a few misconceptions.

Chip Letzgus
Executive Manager, Corporate Communications
Isuzu Motors America, Inc.  

Chip, I think it's a shame Isuzu's pulling out of the U.S. market with nothing really more to show for it than some re-badged (albeit, as you noted co-engineered) GM products. The Trooper had a very loyal following, and I remember driving a second-generation V-6 Amigo, and thought it was a very smooth, impressive and refined vehicle. I can understand that the business case just simply couldn't sustain the consumer side, but I think if you guys had more of a substantial product strategy and pipeline in the U.S., maybe Isuzu wouldn't be where they are today on the consumer side.

I don't know if anyone's suggested this, but perhaps Isuzu could make a comeback by selling some consumer-oriented products through its commercial channel. I know there are some Ford "Truck" dealerships that are primarily commercial and fleet vehicles, but also sell SUVs and similar products. Just a thought.