Isuzu India inaugurates new manufacturing plant at SriCity, Andhra Pradesh

Isuzu Motors India Pvt. Ltd. (IMI) has inaugurated a new manufacturing plant located in SriCity, Andhra Pradesh. The plant was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu. Masanori Katayama, President, Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan and Naohiro Yamaguchi, Managing Director, Isuzu Motor India Pvt. Ltd. were prominent among others present. The event also had the roll out of the first Made in India Isuzu D-MAX V-Cross SUV from the assembly line.

The new manufacturing plant is spread over 107 acres of land. The company has invested Rs 3,000 crore in building the setup. Initially the plant will have production of 50,000 units which can be scaled up to 120,000 units.

Speaking at the plant inauguration, Masanori Katayama, President, Isuzu Motors Limited, said, “We are very happy to start our local manufacturing operations in India. India is one of the biggest automobile markets and also one of the fastest growing economies in the world. India is a key part of Isuzu Motors’ global growth strategy. This new plant in India will not only cater to the requirements of the growing Indian market, but in future it will also serve as a key manufacturing hub for ISUZU’s global operations.”

Apart from the new plant inaugurated in India, Isuzu already has manufacturing operation in Japan, Thailand and the USA. The SriCity plant will follow the same Isuzu global manufacturing standards and management techniques. The production of the new generation D-MAX pickup-trucks will be carried out at this plant. Vehicles will be manufactured with 70 per cent localization that will be increased in the future. The company will initially cater only to the domestic market but has plans the start the export of vehicles to other markets.

The facility will manufacture four versions of the new generation D-MAX pick-ups- D-MAX V-Cross (4x4), D-MAX Crew Cab, D-MAX Single Cab and D-MAX Cab-Chassis variant. Isuzu had unveiled the D-MAX V-Cross at the 2016 Auto expo in Delhi. Although, the company is yet to announce the price of the D-MAX V-Cross (4x4), expect the SUV to price around the Rs 15 lakh mark.