Isuzu targets emerging Asian markets

The head of Isuzu Australia Limited, Mike Yoda, has said that Isuzu Motors will look to emerging Asian markets to continue its trajectory of growth

Isuzu Australia Limited's Managing Director and CEO, Koichi (Mike) Yoda, has said that Isuzu Motors will intensify its investment in developing Asian markets in coming years to secure its position in an increasingly competitive global market.

Mr Yoda made the comments last week at the local launch of IAL's Isuzu Telematics system, held at Corio dealership Winter & Taylor Isuzu on the outskirts of Geelong, Victoria.

According to Mr Yoda, a number of developing Asian markets represent the best opportunities for the company for future growth.

"Isuzu Motors is planning to increase its business investment significantly in manufacturing and engineering development," he said.

"In Thailand, China, India, and Indonesia, Isuzu Motors is investing heavily in manufacturing facilities, with Thailand especially being a particular point of focus. It is anticipated that these markets will produce considerable growth in time."

Mr Yoda said economic development in these regions brought with it a need for extensive construction.

"Operations in these regions continue to grow every year, increasing the demand on ageing infrastructure," he said.

"Improvement, especially in road infrastructure, is desperately needed, and this is where openings begin to appear."

Against the backdrop of a tough and complex economic landscape, Isuzu Motors has performed strongly in recent times. In the financial year ending March 2014, the company sold 639,000 units worldwide, recording net sales of $A18.1 billion and a record net profit of $A1.8 billion.

Mr Yoda said Isuzu Motors has set itself an aggressive goal of achieving projected worldwide sales volume of 700,000 units for the current financial year– an increase of 9.5 per cent – and said the investment in Asia will play an important role. However, he also warns that there is no easy path for the Japanese giant.

"Isuzu Motors is not alone in needing this development [in emerging Asian markets]," he said.

"Our competitors are also making strong investment in the region. It is an ever-changing landscape in which Isuzu Motors is developing plans to secure its global competitiveness well into the future."

Mr Yoda said the launch of Isuzu Telematics would give the local arm of the manufacturer a distinct edge.

"We believe our Isuzu Telematics is a genuine point of difference for Isuzu in a crowded, tough market," he said.

"In Australia one of our key areas of focus is our aftersales activities. We have a very good track record in this area already with Isuzu Care, which offers an industry-leading raft of services and products to our customers.

"We want to maintain an investment in the entire life cycle of every vehicle we sell and Isuzu Care will be further enhanced with Isuzu Telematics, which will allow us to get closer to our customers."

Click here for the full review of the Australian Isuzu Telematics media launch.

Isuzu targets emerging Asian markets

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