Isuzu Motors India today signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government for setting up a light commercial vehicle (LCV) manufacturing plant in the state.
Isuzu Motors India Deputy Managing Director Shigeru Wakabayashi said the company plans to invest Rs 1500 crore
over five to seven years in the plant which would have a capacity of 1.2 lakh units per annum.
The company is a subsidiary of the Japanese utility vehicle maker Isuzu.
The pick-up truck segment, the core product of Isuzu’s LCV range, has expanded to become a market with annual sales
of 200,000 units in India.
“We plan to sell 80,000 units in India and export some 40,000 units to other countries. The first vehicle from this
plant is expected to roll out by the end of 2015 or early 2016,” Wakabayashi said.
Replying to a query, he said that Isuzu is in talks with other automobile manufacturers including Hindustan Motors
to assemble Isuzu’s SUV and pick-up vehicles.
Wakabayashi said that Isuzu has decided on Sricity as the most suited location based on good access to Chennai, where
many automobile-related industries are situated and the city’s port, as a support foothold for its LCV operation in Thailand.
Isuzu has begun selling its pick-up truck (D-MAX) and pick-up derivative (MU-7) from this month by importing
completely built-up vehicles. Isuzu will build up its sales network starting from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government would extend all possible help to the
company to set up its manufacturing plant.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh’s heavy industries minister J Geetha Reddy had said that Isuzu might invest Rs 1,500 crore
in a phased manner over the next few years.
——————PTI