Isuzu stopped selling passenger vehicles in the United States in 2009, but its Isuzu-built trucks and cars spent nearly four decades here. At first, they wore a Chevrolet bowtie. Later, they wore Isuzu’s own badge, from a small diesel pickup to a two-door SUV with fangs in the grille.

These six Isuzu-built models show how a Japanese truck maker built a following in America. Also, each one comes with a source for its dates and numbers. Where references disagree, the article names which one it follows.

1. 1972 Chevrolet LUV, the first Isuzu-built pickup for Chevy

The LUV came first, although it carried a Chevrolet badge. GM owned a large share of Isuzu, so Chevrolet had a compact truck ready when small pickups caught on. As for the name, LUV stood for Light Utility Vehicle.

According to Hagerty, the 1972 LUV used a 1.8-liter, 75-hp four with a four-speed manual. Trucks crossed the Pacific in chassis-cab form for final assembly here, which dodged the 25 percent “Chicken Tax.” Sales climbed from just over 20,000 in the first year to more than 100,000 in 1979. In total, Chevy moved 462,000 LUVs, Hagerty reports.

2. 1981 Isuzu P’up

In 1981, Isuzu began selling vehicles under its own name in the U.S. Its first Isuzu-built truck under that badge was the P’up, short for “pick up,” according to Consumer Guide.

The P’up was the second-generation version of the truck behind the LUV. According to The Truth About Cars, gas models kept the 1.8-liter, 75-hp four. Buyers could also order a 2.2-liter turbodiesel, which TTAC rates at 58 hp. Then, in 1988, an Indiana-built Isuzu “Pickup” replaced it.

3. 1983 Isuzu Impulse

The Impulse was Isuzu’s sports coupe, and Giorgetto Giugiaro drew it. His “Ace of Clubs” concept debuted at the 1979 Tokyo Motor Show, according to Jalopnik.

Jalopnik says the car went on sale in the U.S. as the Impulse in 1983. However, Consumer Guide dates the Impulse to 1981, so the start year depends on the source. In 1985, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four arrived with 140 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque, Jalopnik reports. Later, the car also gained a Lotus-tuned suspension package with softer springs, stiffer shocks and revised sway bars.

4. 1984 Isuzu Trooper II

The Trooper put Isuzu into the SUV business here. According to The Truth About Cars, the first Troopers sold in America were 1984 models. That was the same year as the Jeep Cherokee and Mitsubishi Montero.

In fact, every first-generation Trooper sold in the U.S. wore a Trooper II badge. For 1986, TTAC lists a base 2.3-liter four with 96 hp and 123 lb-ft, plus an optional 2.2-liter diesel. Next, a second-generation Trooper arrived as a 1992 model. Its final model year was 2002, TTAC notes.

5. 1991 Isuzu Rodeo

The Rodeo was a five-door SUV, and it arrived for 1991. Unlike the imports, it was an Isuzu-built truck from an American plant. According to Autoblog, the 1994 Rodeo it examined came from Subaru-Isuzu Automotive in Indiana.

That 1994 truck used an Isuzu 3.2-liter V6 rated at 175 hp. Its sticker price was $19,249 with the manual and $20,349 with the automatic, Autoblog reports. Honda also sold rebadged Rodeos as the Passport.

6. 1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS

The VehiCROSS started as a 1993 concept car and reached production with few changes. According to Hagerty, Isuzu built 5,958 between 1999 and 2001. Of those, 4,153 came to the U.S. and 1,805 stayed in Japan. Meanwhile, its 3.5-liter V6 came from the Trooper and made 215 hp and 230 lb-ft.

Underneath, it used body-on-frame construction and a Torque on Demand 4×4 system with 12 sensors. It also had monotube shocks with external heat-expansion chambers. Hagerty puts the base price at $28,900. Isuzu’s own U.S. car business did not last much longer. On January 31, 2009, Isuzu ended all U.S. passenger vehicle sales, according to Consumer Guide.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.