Nissan Gets Indian Truck Deal
August 29th, 2007
Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. has teamed up with Indian truck and bus maker Ashok Leyland Ltd. to jointly manufacture small trucks and other light commercial vehicles in India using their truck parts.
The deal underscores Nissan’s growing interest in India, where demand for automobiles is rising fast thanks to robust economic growth. Nissan has lagged behind its Japanese rivals in tapping opportunities in India, both as a market and as a manufacturing base.
Leading Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp., have significantly expanded their operations in India in recent years.
Toyota Makes Deal With Isuzu
January 10th, 2007
Toyota announced that it will spend $373 million on a deal with Isuzu that will transfer 5.9% of the truck- and diesel-maker to the giant Japanese automakers. Toyota’s goal in purchasing a stake in Isuzu is to raise its diesel portfolio, which apparently is behind other major automakers like cross-town rival Honda who announced in September it would have diesel-powered passenger cars for sale in the U.S. within three years.
We always expected that Toyota would rely on its own Hino Motors commercial truck subsidiary for a diesel engine to power a heavy-duty version of its new Tundra pickup, but Hino is not prepared to make smaller diesel engines for passenger cars and potentially diesel hybrids.
2007 Dodge Ram
October 12th, 2006
Bold, tough, dependable, in-your-face Dodge Ram heritage conquers new territory and expands to the commercial chassis cab segment with the introduction of the all-new 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab.
“The all-new 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab charges into the Class 3 chassis cab segment, expanding the Dodge Ram portfolio and building on Dodge’s leadership position in the truck market,” said George Murphy, Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing, Chrysler Group. “The most upfit-friendly chassis cab in the segment, the Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab sets a new commercial standard by offering a powerful lineup of renowned engines, a commercial-grade chassis engineered to perform in the most demanding conditions, and bold Dodge Ram styling.