OK...don't take this the wrong way but some folks here need to do a little more research!! :?
Isuzu is in the final stages of ending the GM relationship. They traded some technology (Duramax) and engine factories to GM in a deal to get GM to return Isuzu stock - and control of Isuzu - back to Isuzu.
They still have a GM 'man' of the BOD as part of the three year plan, but his job won't last long.
This may seem like manipulation, but consider: Isuzu stock rose by over 400% shortly after Isuzu convinced GM to reduce its take to about 12%. That's a lot of money GM didn't get.
This stock price increase was due in no small part to the Tokyo Metropolitan government which outlawed dirty diesel engines shorty after GM reduced its stake in Isuzu.
Do you think Ito-san has a few friends in high places in Tokyo? Of course: Isuzu was the only company that had complaint diesels at the time and huge trucking companies had to buy new fleets - Isuzu fleets - to meet the stringent requirements.
This helped propel Isuzu to it's current #1 position in the truck market once again.
As for the Duramax technology that GM uses and acquired, it is old technology and won't last for long in the era of clean diesel engines. Isuzu has far superior diesel engines powering most of it's trucks here in Japan; the Duramax is outdated.
Isuzu's have been sold in over 130 countries under many different names, and in this sense Isuzu is a little unique. Here in Japan it is regarded as one of the most sophisticated "technical" companies in Japan, not a consumer-oriented company like Honda or Toyota. People in Japan refer to Isuzu as "the OEM supplier to Honda" which they have and continue to be.
So....let's not defer to a US-centric view of Isuzu worldwide operations. They've pulled out of the US market because of consumer sentiment due in no small part to the 'Consumer Reports' incident for which Isuzu sued and won, but the reputation of Isuzu never quite recovered stateside. In many other countries Isuzu is in a #1 position in their market.
An aside: This is not dissmiliar to the Bridgestone/Firestone affair: when Firestone, the oldest American tire company, was purchased by Japanese company Bridgestone...surprise surpirse: suddently Firestone tires are no good, causing explosions and killing innocent families and raping small animals....yeah right.
BH
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