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King has big plans for Isuzu line-up
Page 8
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THE UK IMPORTER of Isuzu trucks is to change hands, with Nikki King and her management team joining the Japanese manufacturer as owners of the company.
The major shareholder in Isuzu Truck (UK) is currently RAC, formerly Lex. with an 85% stake. However, as soon as the contracts are signed the new joint venture will own the whole firm.The exact value and proportions of the deal have yet to be revealed.
The commercial links with RAC companies who provide services such as roadside assistance. parts distribution and windscreen replacement will continue unchanged. Stock funding will be provided by its Isuzu Truck Finance partner,Bank of Scotland.
While little will change in the firm's public face, King is confident that no longer having to answer to RAC and Isuzu, who had different agendas and priorities, will benefit everyone concerned.
Some short-term cost savings are expected, but these are only likely to provide some added value to the product rather than significant price cuts.
In the longer term, King has confirmed that she would like to see the UK range extended beyond 7.5-tonnes, to include 12 and 18-tonne variants, but this is unlikely to happen before the arrival of Euro4 engines.
Asked if Isuzu UK was ever likely to extend its operations into potential new markets outside the UK, King and Jun Utsumi.second in command of Isuzu Japa n , agreed this is not out of the question.
Bluntly describing the process as"corporate masturbation-, she blames it for many of the UK industry's ills, as manufacturers chase short-term market share at the expense of long-term stability. She claims that with a £20m turnover, lsuzu UK is more profitable than ih competitors thanks to not having "fields of buy-backs".