Isuzu to form venture in KL

Isuzu to form venture in KL

TOKYO (AFP): Japan's Isuzu Motors Ltd., affiliated with U.S. auto giant General Motors Corp., is to launch a truck production joint venture with Malaysian state firms as early as March, an industrial daily said yesterday.

The venture, known provisionally as Malaysian Truck and Bus, is to be held 20 percent by Isuzu, and 40 percent each by governmental investment company Diversified Resources Bhd. and Hicom Holdings Bhd. of Malaysia, the Nihon Kogyo Shimbun said.

Production will start from June with an affiliated company producing the trucks.

That company was named by the newspaper as Automotive Manufacturers Malaysia, which is held 70 percent by Hicom, 25 percent by Isuzu and five percent by Japanese trading house Itochu Corp.

The Malaysian auto maker produced 14,000 units of Isuzu trucks in 1996, it said.