GM, Isuzu Still Collaborating On Midsize Pickups
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Outside of North America, medium-sized trucks such as the Chevy Colorado are a big deal. How big? Let’s just put it this way: big enough for General Motors and Isuzu — two manufacturers that have storied pasts in pickup trucks — to collaborate in certain geographic markets on the assembly of their medium-sized pickup offerings.
In particular, we’re referring to General Motors’ South Africa (GMSA) operations — which was recently integrated into GM Africa — and the fact that it assembles the Isuzu KB (aka Chevy D-Max) alongside the Chevy Utility (aka Montana) and Chevy Spark at the Port Elizabeth Struandale Assembly Plant. Isuzu’s KB/D-Max is built on the same platform as the Chevy Colorado/S10 and TrailBlazer, but features a different set of engines as well as front and rear fascias.
Isuzu KB/D-Max
Most recently, 520 assembly line workers at the plant spent two weeks undergoing training focused on The General’s Global Manufacturing Systems (GMS) and were introduced to such topics as health & safety, built in quality, housekeeping, preventative maintenance, workplace organisation and environment issues. The facility commenced production of the Isuzu KB during the second week of January.
And it’s just this kind of close collaboration between GM and Isuzu that makes us wonder if there are projects the two automakers working on outside of the midsize pickup truck space.
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Why does it use the word cahoots? If it were anyone else, it would be “in partership”, but because it’s GM, it’s cahoots….like the two are doing something illegal.
Jack, it wasn’t my intention to imply a negative meaning… but since “cahoots” does carry a crooked connotation, I’ve changed the title. Hope it’s to your liking.
Thanks, you are a fine reporter. Not many writers would have changed it.
jack879
Alex, My guess is more something to compete within the Van segment. In other words something to compete with Fords Transit…
Hate the term GLOBAL. Just say NON-USA. Seems like the US is always odd man out and the rest of the world has it.
It isn’t sold in Canada, and I’m sure many other countries.. So “Non-USA, non-Canada, etc…” should they list every country it isn’t available? Global is the proper industry term. A company, for instance, can be a global company even if they are only based out of, say, 15 countries.
well, they always say GLOBAL but not coming to north america (USA) so what’s the difference?
Guys — the Colorado is coming to North America in the medium-term future… so the vehicle will be global.
Also, I’ve replaced the word “global” to better reflect the relationship between Isuzu and GM. True, it’s not a “truly global” relationship, as it doesn’t span every geographic market in the world. My point, however, was that the Isuzu-GM partnership spans/spanned several nations, making it international (perhaps not global) in nature. For instance, the medium-duty market in the States (in which GM no longer competes) and the mid-size light-duty market in certain international markets.
Keep in mind when GM pulled out of medium duty in the U.S., they were also building most of the Isuzu mediums sold in the U.S. and Canada. Since that time, Isuzu has been importing some mediums from Japan, and some are being assembled here by Spartan Motors, a fire apparatus chassis manufacturer. This has not only limited the number of available Isuzu models, but also made them more expensive. If Isuzu wants to be competitive in the U.S. medium market, they are going to have to eventually do something………