“Tailor-made vehicles are our strength and our success. Ninety percent of the delivered products are non-standard,” says Tuğrul Arikan, general manager of the Turkish manufacturer Anadolu Isuzu. “Every operator and driver has different requirements, and we respond with buses and coaches tailored to the customer's needs,” the manager adds. Several Isuzu Bus vehicles, from the compact electric Novo Volt to the large Citivolt 12 city bus, can be admired at Busworld (hall 4, stand 403).
Anadolu has been around for 42 years and can look back on a long collaboration with Japan’s Isuzu. At the company 6,000 employees build coaches, city buses, minibuses, trucks, and pick-ups. It was the first Turkish-Japanese joint venture. The manufacturer operates under the name Isuzu Bus in the export market. Foreign markets are lucrative for Isuzu Bus. For instance, this year the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority received a fleet of 70 articulated Citiport 18 Class 2 buses. The order, worth 37.8 million dollars, marked the company’s highest-ever turnover figure.
“The choice for tailor-made products is still the key to our success. This approach requires a strong R&D department. Our three hundred engineers are facing huge challenges. Customers’ demands vary greatly. Every bus looks the same but still requires numerous adjustments. On top of that, regulations sometimes change three times a year. We have to constantly adapt to changing rules,” says Tuğrul Arikan.
The energy transition is a major challenge for Isuzu Bus. “Europe in particular is pushing hard for greener transport. The first step is full electrification of city buses. Now we are working intensively on making intercity buses emission-free. A complete transition for long-distance transport will take time. Biofuels may provide a transitional solution. Hydrogen as an energy source is more expensive than electricity, and distribution is a problem. In addition, the sector is facing a reduction in incentives for the transition by governments,” Arikan emphasizes.
Isuzu Bus is tapping into new markets. Thirty percent of production is exported to the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa. The company also aims to gain a foothold in the demanding European market. “Europe is a premium market, and our products reflect that image across other continents,” says the general manager. Recently, the company acquired a majority stake in the Uzbek manufacturer SamAuto, which produces large buses, trucks, and pick-ups. “We are also looking for partners elsewhere,” adds Tuğrul Arikan.
With the slogan “On the road to a green future,” Isuzu Bus is taking significant steps not only in making its vehicles greener but also in its production sites, where seventy percent of the energy used comes from solar panels.