Isuzu aims to open 60 dealerships by 2016 in India

Isuzu India aims to open 60 dealerships by the start of 2016 said Shigeru Wakabayashi, EVP and DMD of Isuzu India during the launch of its locally assembled version of its D-Max pickup truck (Rs 5.99 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai). The Japanese manufacturer currently has presence in all the four southern states and has added Maharashtra as it is one of the largest markets for pickup trucks in the country. It aims to expand its footprint to states like Punjab, UP, Gujarat , Haryana and Rajasthan by 2016. 

The Japanese manufacturer aims to sell 500 units a month in the Indian market until its plant at Sri City is up and running by mid-2016. At present it was only able to produce 200 units of the MU-7 and 300 units of the D-Max as that was the maximum capacity of the Hindustan Motors Plant. However, once the Sri City plant is functional, they aim to manufacturer around 20, 000 units a month with 70 per cent localisation at the start and then 100 per cent by 2018. 

It appears that the engine will be the biggest component of localisation in this equation for which the manufacturer is yet to make a decision on whether it will manufacture the engine locally or source it from an outside player. It is also considering exports from the Sri City plant but this will only happened once the production suits the needs of the local market.  

The locally assembled D-Max pickup truck has been given an introductory price which the company says it will revise once the new government is formed and takes charge. At this time we also expect that they will revise the prices for the MU-7 SUV.