Isuzu MU-X SUV may be launched in India this year

Isuzu Motors have confirmed that there will be a new product on display at the upcoming Auto Expo. We expect it to be the MU-X that will be launched this year in India.

The MU-X seven-seater SUV came as a replacement to the Alterra, which is the MU-7 sold in the Indian market. Since there will be no MU-7 at the Expo, the new product alongside the D-Max has to be the MU-X. This new SUV is available in the international markets and sold in either four-wheel-drive or two-wheel-drive variants. Both these versions come paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. For the Indian market, the MU-X powered by the 2.5-litre 4JK1-TC (HI) common rail direct injection intercooler engine (136bhp, 320Nm) might be offered.

Shankar Srinivas, senior general manager, communications at Isuzu, in an interview with ET said, "Instead of MU-7, we will have an all new product on display this year alongside D-Max. It is not a concept vehicle and you will see it on Indian roads this year. We will start the manufacturing of the new product at our new plant."

Isuzu Motors has stopped production at the Hindustan Motor plant in Thiruvallur in Chennai. They are planning to commence operations at their new plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh in April this year. The new facility will begin with an initial installed capacity of 50,000 units that can be expanded to 1.2 lakh units annually. With an investment of around Rs 3,000 crore in this new plant, the MU-X will be manufactured here along with the D-Max.