He also said that the company would expand its range with added variants of Isuzu vehicles, including the MU-X, a 7-seat SUV that will soon make its Malaysian debut.
While aiming to maintain the company’s position as the No. 1 truck brand in Malaysia, Matsuoka also hopes to achieve a 20 percent market share for the Isuzu D-MAX pick-up trucks in the medium term.
Matsuoka.
Matsuoka, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Mie University will assume the Isuzu Malaysia CEO position on April 20, replacing Kimitoshi Kurokawa who returns to Isuzu Motors Ltd, Japan.
Citing key product features that elevate the value of Isuzu vehicles as the main reason for customer conversion to the brand, Matsuoka felt that the current customer sentiment of spending cautiously worked in Isuzu’s favour.
“Our customers have come to realise that our core product qualities of durability, reliability and fuel efficiency offered them reduced running costs without sacrificing performance or dependability. In times like these when everyone is trying to stretch their ringgit, Isuzu vehicles offer customers with a genuine motoring solutions,” said Matsuoka.
In line with the growing popularity of Isuzu vehicles, Matsuoka elaborated that customer satisfaction initiatives need to be on pace with this growth.
“Without strong back-end support for our customers, we would not be able to sustain a consistent growth for the brand. Therefore, much of our attention will be focused on improving the quality of our after-sales experiences by strengthening our dealer operations and improving spare parts availability through the establishment of a new parts depot in Johor,” said Matsuoka.
Prior to joining Isuzu Malaysia, Matsuoka held the position of CEO at Isuzu-Hicom Malaysia (IHM), a position he assumed in 2012 after spending four years as the CEO of Isuzu Vietnam Co Ltd.
