Isuzu Motors South Africa has confirmed that production of the all-new D-Max will only start in 2021 and not this year as initially reported.
The announcement comes after the brand’s R1.2-billion investment into its Port Elizabeth plant last year for manufacturing of the D-Max for not only the South African market, but also for Sub-Saharan Africa regions.
“Our project launch team is working at an accelerated pace, and we anticipate that we will be ready to roll the first units off the production line during the second half of 2021,” Isuzu Motors South Africa Senior Vice President for Technical Operations, Dominic Rimmer, said in a statement.
The marque has meanwhile stated that upgrades are currently taking place at the plant in preparation for production of the D-Max, which made its world debut in Thailand last year, with Rimmer also attributing the later date to the sourcing of local suppliers and localisation of various system and components.
“Our bakkies are locally engineered to meet the requirements of local and Sub-Saharan Africa markets, thus ensuring that our products maintain high quality standards, while retaining their reputation for reliability, capability and durability,” he said.
While no details regarding specification have been revealed, expect local models to make use of the newly revised 3.0 D-TEQ turbodiesel engine that produces 140kW/450Nm paired to either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox. As before, single, extended and double cab bodystyles will be offered with a choice of rear-or-four-wheel-drive.
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