Companies

Isuzu to Produce EV Version of its D-MAX Pickup Truck in Thailand

Courtesy of Isuzu Motors Ltd.
Isuzu Motors Ltd.’s D-MAX pickup truck

By Takashi Itoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:18 JST, October 8, 2023

BANGKOK — Isuzu Motors Ltd. will begin producing the electric vehicle version of its D-MAX pickup truck in Thailand.

The automaker plans to release the vehicle in the European market in 2025 and will gradually expand to Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. This is the first time for Isuzu to produce EV passenger cars.

As Isuzu’s mainstay model, the D-MAX accounts for more than 40% of the carmaker’s global sales. The company decided that offering the EV version of the model was essential as the shift toward producing EVs progresses in many countries around the globe.

In Thailand, Toyota Motor Corp. will begin production of electric pickup trucks as early as this year, and China’s BYD Co. is also building a plant, in a growing movement toward EV production.