GM drops another one.

[Spike]

Condensing the lineup of vehicles.

From Autoweek

[damilt]

You make it sound like doom and gloom. The article talks about the Isuzu Ascender. It's not like they are slashing the Chevy brand or some thing of that sort.

Isuzu should be able to market thier own cars or not be in business here. A re-labeld GMC doesn't cut it.

[Spike]

You make it sound like doom and gloom...

???

The article is titled GM ending production of Isuzu's seven-seat Ascender ute. I didn't write it.

[Frank Capua]

My condolences to Joe Isuzu.

[SportscarBruce]

Great, that means I don't have to hear that Frank Rizzo/Jerkey Boy's imitation ad on the radio any more.

[Mack Too]

My duughter and son-in-law in Chalotte bought a Rodeo four years ago, and it was a rock solid value. It handled well and got better than 20 mpg on trips, as good as 24 IIRC. Another son had an Explorer of the same vintage, IMO the Isuzu was the better SUV by far, that is until resale.

[lkchris]

Toyota's market capitalization is now 15 times that of GM.

[SamC]

Isuzu was once a source of "captive imports" like the Chevy badged LUV trucks, Diesel engines in Chevettes, and the last Buick Opel.

GM has owned stock in Isuzu since 1971, and owned a controling interest since 1999. As a part of GM's sell-off to avoid bankruptcy, they have cut their interest to 12%.

Currently Isuzu only has 350-odd dealers left in the USA, and all of its current offerings are just rebadged US-made Chevys, and thus of extremly low quality, having no relation to the above mentioned Rodeo, which really was made by Isuzu. The brand will be gone from the US next year, probably.

[Truth Detector]

What are they doing with the big Isuzu plant in Lafayette?

[Turn13]

http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=53957

[Truth Detector]

Any idea how the number of cars produced in Indiana breaks down? Or how the Isuzu to Toyota switch will affect those numbers?

[SamC]

The current Isuzu US line up consists only of:

The 7-passenger Ascender, going out of production with the closure of the GM Oklahoma City plant; the 5-passenger, made at the GM Moraine, Ohio plant, which is a rebadged Chevy Trail Blazer; and the I-Series pickup truck, which is a rebadged Chevy Canyon, made in Shreveport, Louisiana.

As to production figures, autoweek has them, as does the corporate side of any manufacturer's web site.

[Outlaw]

The very first "new" vehicle that I bought was an Isuzu pickup. I loved that thing. After we had our second child my wife decided that the vehicle was no longer a fit for our family and I had to trade it in on a mini-van.... OHHH the humanity!

Outlaw

[ZOOOM]

Funny how things that go arround come arround...

The last Ascender I knew of was a piston engined WWII fighter with the engine in the back. It too was called the Ascender. It didn't fly real well...... Maybe that's why the pilots called it the ASS Ender.......... Anyway... same fate..
ZOOOM

[irloyal]

Looks like fewer than 12,000 people will miss the good ol' Isuzu. Heck, even the people at the Indiana factory will probably be glad to see it go.