Isuzu Cancels D-Max EV for Australia as Diesel Holds 84 Per Cent of the Market

Isuzu has pulled the plug on its electric Isuzu D-Max before it ever reached Australian showrooms, with the brand saying the battery ute does not suit local buyers in its current form. For now, the D-Max stays diesel only.

The reasoning Isuzu Ute Australia executive general manager Rod Caldwell said diesel D-Max and MU-X models will remain the priority for the foreseeable future, and that the D-Max BEV is not the right fit for Australian customers as it stands. He pointed to diesel still accounting for 84 per cent of light-commercial vehicle sales so far this year. There is no confirmed hybrid or plug-in hybrid D-Max either, leaving the updated 2.2 litre turbo-diesel to carry the range.

Cartell Assessment Call it stubborn or call it honest, but it may be the clearest read of the ute market all year. Buyers chasing a workhorse are not lining up for an electric one, and Isuzu has decided not to pretend otherwise.

AU Outlook Watch for a diesel hybrid rather than a full EV to be Isuzu's first electrified step, if and when tougher emissions rules force the issue.