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Isuzu will cease selling passenger vehicles in America on January 31. In a news blurb that's about as abbreviated as the company's product lineup, Kelley Blue Book reports that the troubled Japanese automaker will stop selling its Ascender SUV and i-Series pickups at the end of the month, both badge-engineered versions of General Motors trucks. Isuzu sales have been winding down for some time now (it sold just over 7000 units last year), and the move had been expected as the plant that underpins the Ascender (shared with the Chevrolet Traiblazer, GMC Envoy, and Saab 9-7X) shuttered just before the holidays.

For all of you little Troopers, Hombres, and Amigos that remain brand loyalists, Isuzu has stated that it will continue to offer parts and service to owners, including honoring warranty claims.

[Source: Kelley Blue Book]

What the heck's an Isuzu test mule doing banging around the Midwest? There's no hope that this D-Max, based on the GMT 355 platform, will ever see a North American showroom, since the company recently folded up its tent and left.

What's most likely is that an OEM is doing some development work on the big 3.0-liter four pot turbodiesel. Pickuptrucks.com speculates that Bosch or AVL's Detroit-area outposts might be fiddling with the engine under the ill-fitting hood, as the vehicle has been seen going to and fro some engineering facilites. So, while the idea of a GMT 355 with a torque-tacular turbo-diesel is exciting, it's likely not likely that consumers here will ever get the chance to buy one. Darn.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]