Isuzu Technology

Isuzu has always been in the forefront of putting it’s technical know-how to good use. Learn how its cutting-edge ideas and breakthrough technology has allowed the world to move forward and farther.

Isuzu: The Pioneers of Diesel Technology

In 1933 Isuzu, which was then operating under the company name Automobile Industries Co., Ltd., poured its energies into the development of diesel engines, a technology that had not yet been commercially established even in the advanced nations of Europe and North America. By 1936 the company had succeeded in developing two air-cooled diesel engine models, the DA6 and the DA4. These early diesels were to serve as the foundation of all later generations of Isuzu diesel engines.

To date Isuzu's diesel engine technology breakthroughs include:

  • The invention of the 1st V8 water-cooled diesel engine
  • The development of the 1st diesel engine used in an Antarctic expedition
  • The manufacturing of the 1st diesel engine powered passenger vehicle
  • The invention of the 1st 4-cylinder direct-injection engine, and
  • The invention of the 1st 4-valve diesel engine