President Cyril Ramaphosa will today officiate the launch of locally manufactured Isuzu D-Max bakkie. The launch of the vehicle signifies the realisation of an investment commitment by Japan’s Isuzu Motors Ltd that forms part of the five-year, R1,2 trillion domestic and international investment drive set in motion by President Ramaphosa in 2018.
The launch hosted by the Isuzu Motors SA (IMSAf) will be held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. In 2019, Isuzu Motors Ltd in Japan announced an investment of R1.2 billion in its next-generation vehicle programme in SA. An additional R2,8 billion will be generated in local content production value through the life cycle of the programme.
The new generation D-MAX crowns Isuzu’s commitment to SA and is one of the successes achieved under the National Automotive Production Development Programme. The investment will secure more than 1, 000 direct jobs at the plant and indirectly employ 24 000 people, contributing significantly to community upliftment in the region in which Isuzu operates. Isuzu Motors SA was established on 1 January 2018 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Ltd.
It is the first manufacturing and distribution organisation outside Japan where Isuzu has a 100% ownership. The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Ebrahim Patel, and Eastern Cape Premier, Mr Oscar Mabuyane.
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