Link:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050923/auto_...suzu.html?.v=1
Isuzu to Pull Out of Detroit Auto Show Next Year As U.S. Sales Plummet
Friday September 23, 1:37 pm ET
By Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Isuzu, the Japanese truck specialist that has been stung by falling U.S. sales, said Friday it is pulling out of the prestigious North American International Auto Show next year, a decision sure to fuel speculation about the automaker's future in the U.S. market.
Isuzu Motors America Inc. spokesman Chip Letzgus said despite the decision, Isuzu is committed to remaining in the U.S. market.
"Isuzu has said repeatedly that we have no intention of pulling out of the U.S. market," Letzgus said. "There's nothing to be read into that."
But the company has fallen far from the 1980s and 1990s, when it helped pioneer the sport utility vehicle with its Isuzu Trooper. Isuzu's U.S. sales fell by more than half in the first eight months of this year to a total of 9,166, according to Autodata Corp. That was one-tenth of a percent of the 6.5 million trucks and SUVs sold in that period.
Isuzu sells three vehicles in North America: the Ascender SUV and the i-350 and i-280 midsize pickups. The company has leaned heavily on General Motors Corp., which owns a 10 percent share of Isuzu, to bring those products to market. All three share basic architecture with GM vehicles, and they're built at GM plants.
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