Companies

Isuzu Motors to Build New Plant in South Carolina; Operations Slated to Start in FY27

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
A logo of the Isuzu Motors Ltd.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, February 14, 2025

Isuzu Motors Ltd. will build a new vehicle assembly plant in the U.S. state of South Carolina, at a total cost of about $280 million (about ¥43 billion), the automaker announced Wednesday.

Isuzu is planning for the plant to have an annual production capacity of about 50,000 vehicles. Eyeing the electrification of commercial vehicles, the company is trying to reinforce its vehicle supply chain and aims to start operations at the plant in fiscal 2027.

The new plant will be built on a site of about 750,000 square meters. In addition to electric trucks, the plant will apparently also be able to handle production of diesel and gasoline vehicles. More than 700 employees are expected to work at the plant.

Compared to Japan, long distance transport is more prevalent in the United States, so electric trucks are not widely used due to concerns caused by a lack of electric vehicle charging stations. Isuzu is preparing to flexibly respond to the demand for both electric and nonelectric vehicles.

U.S. President Donald Trump considers domestic investment to be important. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba mentioned Isuzu’s plant construction plan on Feb. 7, during the Japan-U.S. summit talks in Washington.