Isuzu East Africa in collaboration with UD Trucks Corporation, on Saturday launched UD Trucks models in Kenya.
Speaking at the launch that took place at the new UD Trucks service facility in Jomvu, Mombasa, Isuzu East Africa’s Chair of the Board and Managing Director, Rita Kavashe, said that the collaboration with UD Trucks will create synergies through technology transfer and promote job creation in support of the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya vision.
“We are grateful to UD Trucks Corporation and Isuzu Motors Japan for entrusting us with this special responsibility in the region. Our customers have supported Isuzu EA strongly over the years, and this is the reason Isuzu Motors chose us to assemble and distribute UD Trucks in Kenya,” Rita said.
In August 2024, Isuzu East Africa commenced the assembly of two UD truck model lines, the heavy-duty Quester and the medium-duty Croner, at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM) Plant in Thika.
Isuzu East Africa is now responsible for the assembly, sales, and aftersales support of UD Trucks in Kenya.
“UD Trucks in Kenya come with a respected heritage of product strength, reliability, and durability. It’s no wonder customers fondly refer to the vehicles with nicknames such as “Ndovu” (Elephant) and “Nyati” (Buffalo), symbolizing their robustness and durability. The strategic acquisition of distributorship rights for UD Trucks is a testimony of our commitment to provide our customers with the highest quality vehicles that meet their growing expectations,” Rita explained.
Beyond the local assembly of the trucks, the venture will cover comprehensive aftersales support, including expert technical assistance and a reliable supply of genuine parts, aimed at ensuring a seamless ownership experience in Kenya and the larger Eastern Africa region.
On his part, Mr Tetsuya Ikemoto, Director of the Board and Managing Executive Officer, Isuzu Motors Ltd, said, “The long-term vision for this alliance is to give customers more choices in East Africa by introducing innovative technologies in our vehicles that will meet the logistics requirements of our customers.”
“I would like to congratulate the Isuzu East Africa team for working hard over the years to build strong relationships and brand loyalty with our customers in this market,” added Ikemoto.
On his part, the Chairman of UD Trucks Corporation, Mr Koichi Ito, said the partnership with Isuzu East Africa exemplifies their shared value of providing top-notch products and comprehensive aftersales support to their customers.
“Kenya is a major logistics and transport hub in Africa, and UD Trucks is honoured to have a strong partner in Isuzu East Africa to look after our customers and growth opportunities,” said Koichi.
The customer launch in Mombasa follows the appointment of Isuzu East Africa as the first Isuzu Motors Limited subsidiary to distribute Isuzu and UD Trucks brands under one organization in early 2024.
The company has set up two dedicated UD Trucks service centres in Nairobi and Mombasa to serve as training and best practice centres to support customer requirements in the region.
