Isuzu Motors is considering building a new assembly plant for small trucks in the United States if North American sales volume doubles from the current level, company officials have said.
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Isuzu president Yoshinori Ida disclosed the possibility during a media preview of its new truck in Yokohama, just east of Tokyo, company spokesman Yukio Hirano told the Associated Press (AP).
Ida reportedly said Isuzu may consider building a new assembly plant if sales of its small trucks in the North American market reach around 50,000. Last year, Isuzu sold a combined 25,000 small trucks in the US and Canada, Hirano told AP.
The company did not disclose other details, including where and how soon a new plant would be built, the report added.
Tokyo-based Isuzu currently operates a US plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, producing about 4,700 small trucks a year, AP said, adding that Isuzu’s long financial alliance with General Motors ended when the US automaker sold its entire 7.9% stake in the Japanese company in April.
Isuzu’s current US light truck and SUV line are all rebadged GM US products.
