Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. will commemorate its 30th anniversary of Isuzu trucks in the U.S. market with a special ceremony this week during the National Truck Equipment Association’s 2014 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.
As part of the anniversary celebration, Isuzu announced that it will continue the 24/60 Covered Maintenance Program for new Isuzu diesel trucks purchased by June 2014- providing factory-recommended maintenance for 24 months or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.
“The quality and durability of Isuzu commercial trucks is, of course, a significant reason for our enduring success in the United States,” says Shaun Skinner, executive vice president and general manager of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. “But Isuzu trucks would not have been America’s best-selling low cab forward trucks for the last 28 years in a row if it weren’t for the efforts of our dealers and the loyalty of our customers. Extending the Isuzu 24/60 Covered Maintenance Program is one way we’re saying thanks during this 30th anniversary celebration.”
The Isuzu 24/60 Covered Maintenance Program includes: an initial ‘Dry Service’ at 4,000 miles, an ‘A Service’ beginning at 10,000 miles and continuing every 10,000 miles, and an inclusive ‘A/B Service’ at 50,000 miles.
The extension of the covered maintenance program promises to be merely the first important announcement Isuzu will make during the 30th anniversary celebration. Isuzu senior management will meet directly with dealers during a series of whistle-stop meetings later in March, and additionally will conduct a celebratory dealer meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in October.
The KS22, the first Isuzu truck in America, arrived at the Port of Jacksonville, Florida on November 10, 1984. It had no tilt cab and was powered by an 87-horsepower engine. In 1986, barely a year after their stateside launch, Isuzu trucks became the best-selling low cab forward truck in the United States, a position held ever since — an unprecedented 28 consecutive years.
Today, Isuzu trucks command 80 percent of the U.S. low cab forward truck market. Isuzu’s current array of N-Series trucks is the only line-up of LCF trucks in the industry to offer a choice of two diesel engines plus a gasoline engine that’s both CNG and LPG capable. In addition, they are the first trucks in their class to be 50-state clean-idle certified and to meet EPA 2010 and CARB HD-OBD standards, the most stringent emissions requirements in the world.
“Our trucks offer state-of-the-art technology and are the industry leaders in efficiency, dependability, durability and low cost of operation,” Skinner says. “With great product, great dealers and great customers, we expect their next 30 years in the United States to be even more successful than the first 30 years.”
Highlights of Isuzu Truck History
2014: Isuzu trucks’ 30th anniversary in the U.S.
2013: Isuzu N-Series is named Medium-Duty Truck of the Year by Work Truck magazine
2012: Reach is named Medium-Duty Truck of the Year by Work Truck Magazine
2011: Reach, the revolutionary new walk-in van powered by Isuzu, begins production in Wakarusa, Indiana.
2010: Isuzu N-Series trucks are the first trucks in their class to be EPA 2010 and CARB HD-OBD compliant, and to be 50-state clean-idle certified
2005: The 50,000th N/W-Series gasoline-powered truck is built in Janesville, Wisconsin.
2002: Cumulative sales of Isuzu trucks in the United States exceed 275,000 units.
1994: The first American-assembled gasoline-powered NPR-EFI is assembled in Janesville, Wisconsin.
1986: R.L. Polk certifies Isuzu trucks as the best-selling import commercial truck in the United States. Isuzu trucks have held that position for 28 consecutive years.
1984: Isuzu trucks enter the U.S. market with the KS22.
1959: Isuzu Motors Limited introduces the world’s first 2-ton light-duty low cab forward truck, the first-generation of a line of vehicles now marketed in the United States as the N-Series.
1955: Isuzu diesel engines, diesel-powered snow tractors and other equipment are delivered to Japan’s Antarctic Observation Base. Isuzu equipment has been operational at the South Pole ever since.
1936: First air-cooled diesel engine built in Japan by Isuzu Motors Limited.
1919: First truck in Japan built by the predecessor of Isuzu Motors Limited.