Tokyo: Japan’s Isuzu Motors Ltd. will withdraw from truck production and sales in Russia, informed sources said Friday.

The Japanese commercial vehicle maker has sold all of its shareholdings in local subsidiary Isuzu Rus to major Russian automaker Sollers after judging that it would be difficult to continue the business amid the uncertain international situation surrounding Russia, according to the sources.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Isuzu halted production in Russia in March 2022. For the fiscal year that ended in March 2023, the company booked an extraordinary loss of about 1.7 billion yen on a consolidated basis due to the output suspension in Russia. The automaker had said it was considering the future direction of its Russian business.

Isuzu Rus, established in 2007, produced about 3,700 vehicles, mainly N-series small trucks, in the fiscal year that ended in March 2022. Its employees totaling about 200 will continue to be employed at Sollers if they wish after Isuzu’s business withdrawal.

JIJI Press