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GM motors bought Isuzu?

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:shock:
Iwas told today while at a Chevrolet dealership that GM had bought Isuzu a couple of years ago. Also that the Chevy diesels were using Isuzu built engines. Is this so?
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GM purchased a percentage of Isuzu. I don't know the numbers but it's enough to give GM power to manipulate Isuzu. You'll find that Isuzus use some GM parts, and some models of Isuzus are just rebadged GM trucks. A.K.A The Ascender (Trail Blazer) and the Hombre (S10). From what I understand, the relationship between Isuzu and GM has been a rocky one too.
It's just typical corporate coziness. It always depends on who needs stroking the most.

The GM/IZUSU relationship goes back quite a ways.

The Chevy Luv p/u was Isuzu

Many of the 89-91 Troopers featured the GM 2.8L V6 powerplant.

The 1st Gen Rodeo featured the GM 3.1L V6 powerplant and drivetrain, not sure about any of the Amigo components.

Currently, the Duramax engine that Chevrolet touts so much is all ISUZU cuz in typical GM fashion, they can't build anything better :wink:

I'm sure there are many other features of the GM/ISUZU 'partnership', perhaps someone can offer more details.

It's my understanding that GM has sold back much of its stock in ISUZU but has maintained a strong hold on the Duramax enterprise and utility truck market.

ISUZU America has essentially forsaken the SUV market for the lucrative diesel engine deal and truck market mentioned above as evidenced by the demise of the Trooper nameplate and the complete lack of aggressive marketing.

Cheers,
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Isuzu has done a number of unusual things. The built a rebaded trooper and rodeo for Acura and Honda. The sold a rebadged Honda Odessey as an Oasis. They setup a joint venture plant w/ Subaru. Supposedly traded engines to Lotus for help in improving chasis dynamic on the Impluse.
zutrooper said:
Isuzu has done a number of unusual things. The built a rebaded trooper and rodeo for Acura and Honda. The sold a rebadged Honda Odessey as an Oasis. They setup a joint venture plant w/ Subaru. Supposedly traded engines to Lotus for help in improving chasis dynamic on the Impluse.
I don't think that's all unsual. Except for the Lotus/ Impulse deal. Probably the strangest deal I've ever heard amoung car makers is that Toyota asked a favor from GM, in turn Toyota had to sell Cavilers in Japan as rebadged Toyotas. Talk about screwed! One of the most reliable and successful car makers in the world had to sell a car that Consumer Reports called one of the worse cars ever built.

But yeah, there's a lot of cross company deals going on...

Geos were just rebadged Kia, Dae Woos, and Suzukis.
Tuarus SHO engine was designed by Yamaha.
Supra 2JZ engine was designed by Yamaha.
Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe are almost the same car designed by Toyota and Yamaha.
Dodge and Mitsubishi.... WHAT A MESS!
The new Pontiac GTO is just a Holden Monero, etc, etc, etc.

Everyone is involved with everyone.
dude, you forgot that geo's were isuzu's too, the impulse was the geo storm. I really wonder who sold more, geo or isuzu, HA.
rjc12980 said:
dude, you forgot that geo's were isuzu's too, the impulse was the geo storm. I really wonder who sold more, geo or isuzu, HA.
Doh!
Also, Honda bought Isuzu Rodeos for 10 years and resold them as Passports which is what I currently drive.
:oops:
this is iterrill, originator of this thread. This last response provoked a response in me. Likely, no one way of thinking is "best" however, concerning which car you should buy next, well, that just tempts me beyond my ability to keep my mouth shut.

First off, I have the means to have a new car/SUV whatever. [By the way has anyone seen the new Mercedez SUV's?? They look just like the old Trropers :D :idea: :!: ] What I want and have, is my old 1990 Trooper. [am restoring it] Anyway, I appreciated the coddling words of the shop mechanic at the local Chevrolet dealer. Which words were " I won't have a new car, you oughta see the people with newer cars that come in here and have to spend $400 for a $5 part. There are just too many electrical goodies to go wrong on them. Sure the engines are real good, it's the rest that'll kill you."

So I ask, is it worth it to pay for a new car?

Yikes, I'm getting outta here; I don't really want to step on toes.
Timid, aren't you? This is a forum, speak your mind.

As cars age, depending on what kind of car you have, parts do get cheaper. And you have to realize that sure, a newer car would be harder to fix as a mechanic might have less expirence with the vehical, but depending on which company the car came from, the likely hood of that newer car breaking down is so much less likely.

It's all preference really.
iterill:
First of all, thats not true. Older cars have parts that cost a lot more and take longer to get. I have restored a 1964 Porsche 356SC and you will never convince me that a new Porsche costs more for one part than this. I have also helped restore a 1966 Shelby Mustang which also costs a LOT of money for one part. I helped convert a 1985 300 SD mercedes to run on vegetable oil and diesel and the parts for that were crazy priced and took a long time to get. I have also bought parts for a 1992 Lexus LS400 which cost more than the equivilent part of a 99' LS400. When I buy a similar parts for my 1999 passport, its about 1/3 the price and can be obtained almost immediately. Price isn't everything. You also have to consider how long a part will take to come in when it's an older vehicle.
Well, I kept thinking yesterday about what I'd recently said, and this topic.
I neglected to say thanks to all for the enlightenment as regards this "exchanging" between auto manufacturers.

I've benefitted from the replies concerning new vs. older autos. I used to watch a friend in Reno NV work on old Dusenberg's, Pierce Arrows, Essex's, etc.......I came to like the oldies. I do now see the otherside of why some prefer newer autos.
While in England I had a rental Vauxhall, which after a few days I realized was made by GM. I also noticed that they had an SUV that looked remarkably like the Rodeo called the Frontera. I'm not 100% positive it was the Rodeo, as I didn't own one untill 4 days ago, but I'm preatty sure it was the same.

Shannon
Remember the return of the nova in the late 80s? Isuzu I-mark.
GM owns only 12% of ISUZU, but isuzu allows them to manipulate them and destroy them. They just steal engine technology from isuzu and leave them to falter. They wont even help Isuzu advertise, in fact they dont allow it!
sbhatcher said:
While in England I had a rental Vauxhall, which after a few days I realized was made by GM. I also noticed that they had an SUV that looked remarkably like the Rodeo called the Frontera. I'm not 100% positive it was the Rodeo, as I didn't own one untill 4 days ago, but I'm preatty sure it was the same.

Shannon
Yup, it was a Rodeo. Basically over in the UK, GM is Vauxhall and since GM and Isuzu are/were partners, they rebadged the Rodeo over there as a Vaux Frontera, the Amigo are Frontera Sports, the pickups are called Brava. Japanese versions are the Wizard (Rodeo) and Mystery Utility- MU for short (amigo). In Austrailia, the Pups are Rodeos and are sold as Holdens (GM Division)

Strange names huh?
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

www.greenlaner.net
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BigHorn-- YOU ARE THE MAN!!! set the record straight. Duramax is outdated? holy cow, and thats a great motor. I have always been a fan of Isuzu vehicles and i take offense when someone bad mouths them about how poorly they are doing in the states.. It was a real shame when Consumer Reports damaged Isuzus reputation with the "incident" that Isuzu proved was delibrate attempt to give another Japanese company a bad rap. As an American (German and Hungarian decent), i have bought American made and Japanese made vehicles, overall its a vehicle either way. I prefer the japanese vehicles for the fit and finish and of course reliablity (4 cylinders atleast). I am glad their are people like yourself out there letting others know, that are sometimes ignorant , the facts.
I think Isuzu could regain its stance in the US by introducing the D-Max here as a diesel. WE need clean burn diesels here. A small pickup should be getting better then 20 mpg (Isuzu Pup 2.3L/2.6L). Give us a diesel here that can get 30 mpg and have the power behind it. I would be in line to get one. The styling is nice and the benefits of a clean burn diesel with good MPG would rock. Isuzu has the technology for the newer diesels, let them prove themselves again in the states. I WANT ONE!!!!
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lowzone said:
sbhatcher said:
While in England I had a rental Vauxhall, which after a few days I realized was made by GM. I also noticed that they had an SUV that looked remarkably like the Rodeo called the Frontera. I'm not 100% positive it was the Rodeo, as I didn't own one untill 4 days ago, but I'm preatty sure it was the same.

Shannon
Yup, it was a Rodeo. Basically over in the UK, GM is Vauxhall and since GM and Isuzu are/were partners, they rebadged the Rodeo over there as a Vaux Frontera, the Amigo are Frontera Sports, the pickups are called Brava. Japanese versions are the Wizard (Rodeo) and Mystery Utility- MU for short (amigo). In Austrailia, the Pups are Rodeos and are sold as Holdens (GM Division)

Strange names huh?
The Rodeo/wizard are not the same as the Frontera!
Opel build the Frontera in the U.K with Opel engines and coil springs (rear)and a different grille and headlights.
In Australia you can buy a Holden Frontera (build by Opel in the U.K) and a Isuzu MU (wich is "The Orginal")! :?
But the Opel Campo and the Opel Montery is build by Isuzu in Japan.
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