Isuzu Malaysia appoints new CEO; confirms MU-X launch
Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd has officially announced the appointment of Mr Kenji Matsuoka as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Mr Kimitoshi Kurokawa, who returns to Japan for a bigger regional role overseeing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Middle East, Latin Americas, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Matsuoka’s appointment takes effect on 20 April 2015, but he will be no stranger to Malaysia, having served as CEO of Isuzu-Hicom Malaysia (IHM), the business entity responsible for assembling Isuzu vehicles in Pekan, since 2012. His previous appointment was a four-year stint as CEO of Isuzu Vietnam Co Ltd. He graduated with an Engineering degree from Mie University.
Speaking ahead of his appointment, Matsuoka stated his aim to help the D-Max achieve a 20 percent market share in the pick-up truck segment whilst maintaining Isuzu’s overall position as the leading truck company in Malaysia.
“Our customers have come to realize that our core product qualities of durability, reliability and fuel efficiency offered them reduced running costs without sacrificing performance or dependability. In times like these when everyone is trying to stretch their Ringgit, Isuzu vehicles offer customers with a genuine motoring solutions,” said Matsuoka.
“Without strong back-end support for our customers, we would not be able to sustain a consistent growth for the brand. Therefore, much of our attention will be focused on improving the quality of our after-sales experiences by strengthening our dealer operations and improving spare parts availability through the establishment of a new parts depot in Johor,” he continued.
Finally, Matsuoka also revealed that Isuzu will continue to expand its range of vehicles in Malaysia with the seven-seater D-Max-based MU-X SUV set to makes its debut here soon competing against other ladder frame SUVs that currently include the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, and soon-to-arrive Ford Everest.
