First to Europe
Isuzu also has to deal with it: electrification. The faithful, roaring diesel is removed from the nose of the D-max and makes way for two electric motors, but the towing weight does not seem to suffer.
The Isuzu D-Max is a functional pick-up that is for sale everywhere in the world, except in North America. Although the D-Max is also sold in Europe and is even on the price list in the Netherlands – Rijkswaterstaat was a fan for a while – the focus of sales is in Asia. It is therefore not surprising that Japanese Isuzu is showing its first electric D-Max at the Bangkok International Motor Show. Isuzu simply calls the car ‘D-Max BEV’ and does not yet show everything, but that one photo makes it clear that it is actually an electrified version of the existing and recently facelifted D-Max.
A twin-motor powertrain is hidden behind a unique front bumper with a largely closed grille and blue accents. The front engine produces 40 kW/55 hp, the rear 90 kW/123 hp. With 177 hp, it is clear that Isuzu is not fooled by the Teslas and Rivians of this world, but is simply looking for a worthy electric alternative to its existing diesels. At 325 Nm, the torque is even slightly lower than that of the diesel, but according to Isuzu the towing weight is ‘normal’ at 3.5 tons.
The D-Max will undoubtedly not last that long, because with 67 kWh the battery is not oversized for such a large and heavy car. There is no official figure for the range yet, and this also applies to, among other things, the fast charging capacity. Deliveries of the electric D-Max should start next year and start in… Europe! Still. Large EV markets ‘such as Norway’ will be the first to come, so perhaps the Netherlands too.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl