R.I.P: Isuzu
Last Updated:
That’s right.
Isuzu will stop selling in the US as of January 1st 2009. Except for some commercial trucks.
They, of course, will still take care of maintenance of previously sold cars and trucks. Not sure for how long.
So, another one bites the dust. Not really a surprise.
But who’s next?
Any guesses????
I’m in the pool. Mitsubishi gone from the US market by 2012. They’re barely hanging on.
I think Suzuki would be next to bite the dust…and then Buick, Mitsubishi and finally Mercury.
Mitsubishi and Suzuki have actually seen an improvement this pass year with the success of the lancer and outlander and Grand Vitara and SX4 . Honestly MERCURY maybe LINCOLN will be the latest ones to bite the dust. Buick needs to take making their nice concepts into production vehicles and then they would have a fighting chance.
After seeing the slump in sales for the new Scion xB and xD over the previous first generation, could this name brand be far behind?
MERCURY is next.
then MITSUBISHI if they don’t get their act together, but the next one might be a surprise:
GMC.
They won’t be able to afford to have a better strategy than selling re-badged Chevrolets and Saturns. “Professional Grade” is a packaging ploy. And if GM creates an entire division to sell only hybrids and electric vehicles, no one would miss GMC.
And next will be Chrysler.
Yep, you heard me.
Chrysler.
Well my guess
Mercury, Lincoln will get alot bigger with many more products=Which I think is a pretty good idea for Ford, put your eggs in the Ford or lincoln brands. With the sale of Jag/LR they have to have a premium brand
Mitsubishi just because they suck
Saab, because they don’t need to be here
Jag if the XF fails
They were dead in 1995, what are you talking about???, this is what the future looks like for Daewoo ( already Dead) and Hyundai/ Kia.
thanks GM… you have ruined another brand!
who is next on your list…SUZUKI?
Thank god Toyota bought a big share of SUBARU from GM…
Are GM trying to get rid of some competition.
I think Mercury’s next. Suzuki’s the most like Isuzu, with all of the GM and GM-Daewoo stuff they’re selling. The kicker is Suzuki makes good cars but they don’t bring them here.
The Hyundai-Kia remark is WAY off base. Hyundai is the 6th largest automaker in the world, larger than Nissan, and pushing toward #5. They’re not closing up shop in the US anytime soon.
I’m surprised Suzuki is still here. At least they decided not to sell another Colorado though. Kudos. I think the world can handle a Frontier clone for once… The XL7 is the best bang for the buck out there in the world of UTEs.
Hyundai/ Kia are finished I said!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Suzuki followed next, but it probably wouldn’t be for a few more years. Mitsubishi wouldn’t be missed, either, but they’re trying to hold on and have had limited success with a couple of their newer models.
GMC and Mercury are most deserving of getting the boot, since both “brands” (if you even want to call them that) sell nothing but re-badges. How much money would GM and Ford save by not having to produce these clones?
If I was elected CEO of Suzuki, here’s what I’d do: 1. Qualify the award-winning Swift to meet U.S. safety standards and import it. 2. Drop the Korean clones (Reno, Forenza, etc.). 3. Market Suzuki’s performance line (or at least the Swift Sport) SWT. 4. Form a merger with someone.
New Suzuki products are actually very good. The new SX4 is recommended by the tightwads at Consumer Reports, and so is the XL7. The Swift was voted “best small family car of the year” by the UK magazine WhatCar?. POTENTIAL my friends, potential.