Cool driving with Isuzu Arctic AT 35
Annually 50 units of the Isuzu Arctic AT 35 derivatives will exclusively be available for order through Isuzu Motors South Africa dealerships.
Based on the standard Isuzu D-MAX bakkie, the Arctic AT35 bakkie variant will be produced for the local market at the Struandale plant in Port Elizabeth. The cabin and load bay are built on the same production line as the standard D-MAX derivatives for quality control, after this stage, the bare bakkie moves on to a special assembly area within the body shop where a specially selected team commence with the Arctic conversion process.
The Struandale plant is the only Isuzu production plant in the world with accreditation to produce the Arctic Trucks International outside of the United Kingdom facilities. “The Isuzu D-MAX is a very capable platform and we are very proud to be part of this partnership. For us it’s very important for the Arctic Trucks brand to not be seen as an aftermarket solution, as a result, everything we do is integrated with the manufacturer,” Patrik von Sydow, CEO Arctic Trucks International.
While the Arctic derivatives leave the standard production line for two days to receive modifications to the wheel well and arches to accommodate the larger tyres and suspension, they return to receive the same e-coat paint which is covered by the same 5 year/ Unlimited km Anti-Corrosion Warranty as on all D-MAX models and to comply with the Isuzu Manufacturing System, standards and processes.
“Arctic Trucks are engineered for people who need to do tough jobs in tough environments, combining this attribute with Isuzu heritage of engineering tough, reliable bakkies are guaranteed to surprise and delight our customers”, Dominic Rimmer, IMSAF Executive for Technical Services.
Fitted below the custom wheel arch mouldings you will find 35-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres on 17-inch black alloy wheels which are kept in contact with the road surface with the Fox Performance Series suspension, altogether raising the vehicle from 1860 mm to 1980 mm and increasing ground clearance from 220 mm to 268 mm. This results in a 31.4-degree breakover angle instead of the standard 22.4 degrees.
The Isuzu Arctic AT 35 will retail for R785 000 including VAT and will come in one derivative which features the same 3-litre intercooled turbodiesel coupled to a 6-speed automatic transmission you will find in the standard D-MAX bakkie.
