Isuzu

The year was 1916. A company that built ships decided it wanted to build something smaller. They teamed up with an electrical company and set a simple goal: make automobiles in Japan instead of buying them from America. At that time, Japan's roads were filled with Fords and Chevrolets. American cars were everywhere. Local manufacturers were still beginners. So they started the way most beginners do. They copied. In the 1920s, the company built cars based on British designs from Wolseley. They were not mass produced. They were lessons. Japan was teaching itself how to make engines, gearboxes, and wheels. Then the government decided to push things faster. In 1933, a new company was formed to build domestic vehicles. Soon after, they produced a truck. They named it after a river that flowed near a... More