At the Philippine International Motor Show last year, Isuzu Philippines showed off a lightweight truck concept, the VT02, that’s destined to battle the likes of the Mitsubishi L300, Hyundai H-100, and the Kia K2500 Karga. Not much has been said about it since then, but now it looks Isuzu Philippines has finally locked in a November 2019 launch date.
Designed specifically for emerging markets, the VT02 is a cabover lightweight truck with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 2,950 kilograms. Known as the “Traga” in its home market of Indonesia, the VT02 is jointly engineered by Isuzu Motors Limited and Isuzu Global CV Engineering Center, a group company controlling the truck engineering for emerging markets.
The VT02 marries a lightweight cabin based on the N Series and a frame based off the D-MAX. Thus, it offers the same attributes such as a maximized loading efficiency, tight turning performance, and high fuel efficiency.
The clincher is that in its Indonesian market form, the Traga / Traviz uses a 4JA1L Euro 2 engine with 80 horsepower and 191 Nm of torque. While this passes for Indonesia’s Euro 2 emissions standards, Isuzu Philippines will have to source a different engine for use in the local market model. A leading candidate the 4JH1-TC found in N Series trucks which produces a far healthier 106 horsepower and 230 Nm of torque.
Do you think there’s room for yet another small truck challenger? Isuzu may be late to the game, but given their stellar reputation in building the most reliable and durable trucks in the markets, it’s safe to say they’ll be able to carve up some market share on their own accord.
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