Isuzu is still number one in its field

Isuzu Motors SA (IMSA) recorded total sales of 2 587 trucks and buses last year. Trucks led the charge with sales of 2 570 units, making Isuzu the number one Japanese Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the medium and heavy commercial vehicle segments for eight and seven consecutive years respectively.

This represented 13.4% of the overall market.

Despite tough trading conditions in the commercial vehicle market in 2020 - which was down 18.9% - Isuzu’s share increased by 0.4%.

'2020 was a tough year for everyone and we found ourselves facing massive challenges at every level of the business,' said Craig Uren, Isuzu's Sales, Service and Marketing Senior Vice President.

'I must commend team IMSA for a job well done under very difficult circumstances. Isuzu trucks continues to demonstrate the long-term benefits of strong customer service and relationships.

'We are also very proud to have such strong and competitive products in the key segments of the commercial vehicle market,' said Uren.

'Isuzu trucks have proved to be a popular choice for fleet operators owing to the brand’s reputation of manufacturing durable and efficient vehicles for a wide range of commercial applications.

'Engineering and technology is a key factor in the success of our products in this space.

'The automatic manual transmission (AMT) for example is an outstanding feature which brings real world benefits to fleet operators as it offers significantly more economical operation of the trucks owing to less wear on transmission components,' added Uren.

Isuzu also performed better than expected in the light commercial vehicle segment with the ever-popular D-MAX bakkie.

The D-MAX managed to maintain strong sales throughout the year with a total of 12 724 units sold in 2020, compared to 16 156 units sold in 2019.

Despite the drop in sales volume, the D-MAX sales outperformed the overall LCV market, which saw a decrease of 24.8% with total sales of 77 449 in 2020 compared to 103 019 units sold in 2019.

Isuzu gained 0.7% market share to 16.4% compared to 15.7% in 2019.

The strong performance was driven in part by a refreshed model year 2019 line-up and the continued success of the X-Rider nameplate.

Isuzu’s seven-seater SUV, the MU-X, rounded up 2020 sales with 312 units sold and a market share of 2.3%.

'The Isuzu sales and marketing teams were able to adapt quickly to the changing environment with creative, innovative solutions to offer value to customers while driving traffic to our dealerships,' said Uren.

'We also commend our dealer partners who were able to make the necessary changes and embrace the new technology and methods necessary to operate successfully under Covid-19 regulations.'