Isuzu launches locally assembled Sh9 million mu-X SUV [PHOTOS]

Isuzu East Africa has launched the locally assembled Isuzu mu-X luxury SUV, a move the company says strengthens Kenya’s position as a regional automotive manufacturing hub and lowers the cost of owning a premium sport utility vehicle.

Assembly of the mu-X began in November 2025, allowing the Isuzu East Africa plant to achieve a fully locally assembled product portfolio for the first time. The launch officially introduces the model to the Kenyan and wider East African market.

Speaking during the launch, Isuzu East Africa chairperson and managing director Rita Kavashe said local assembly would improve availability and pricing while ensuring the vehicle is better suited to regional driving conditions.

“Because of the trust and loyalty of our customers, we are now able to bring the mu-X closer to them, locally assembled to ensure better availability, competitive pricing, and a vehicle built specifically for their driving needs and lifestyle,” Kavashe said.

The locally assembled mu-X will be offered in two variants. The 1.9-litre model will retail at Sh8.9 million, while the 3.0-litre variant will cost Sh9.9 million, down from about Sh13.5 million for imported units.

According to Kavashe, tax incentives linked to local assembly have driven a 27 per cent reduction in prices, making the SUV more accessible while maintaining its safety and convenience features.

She added that customers would also benefit from shorter delivery times and Isuzu’s nationwide aftersales network.

Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui described the launch as a boost to Kenya’s industrialisation agenda, saying local assembly helps retain value within the country.

“Buy Kenya, Build Kenya is about increasing preference for Kenyan goods and services and driving expenditure that supports local production,” Kinyanjui said, noting that local manufacturing creates jobs and strengthens small and medium-sized enterprises within the supply chain.

The chief guest at the event, Isuzu Motors International Operations president Junichi Kubo, said Kenya was the first overseas market to assemble the mu-X, despite the model initially being planned for production exclusively in Thailand.

“This is a big day not just for Kenya but for our business globally,” Kubo said. “The plant operations managed here fully meet the high-quality standards expected by our mother plant in Thailand.”

Isuzu said the local production of the mu-X builds on recent expansions of its commercial and light commercial vehicle assembly programmes, part of a broader strategy to increase local value addition, develop skills and position Kenya as a regional automotive hub under initiatives such as Buy Kenya, Build Kenya and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

With the launch, Isuzu becomes one of the few automakers offering a locally assembled luxury SUV in the Kenyan market.