Things got a little dicey with the lesser-known players in the GM empire in the years leading up to the company’s bankruptcy under Chapter 11with lots of mix-and-match branding efforts. Suzuki emblems on Daewoos? Naturally! A new Subaru brand for Saab? Why not? One of the sadder stories of this era was the fate of the once proud Isuzu, which in its last few years in the United States had to make do with only two rebadged Chevrolet passenger cars: the I-Series pick-up (Colorado) and Ascender mid-size SUV (Pioneer). Here is an example of the latter type, found in a Silicon Valley self-service junkyard recently.
Isuzu first entered the American automotive scene in 1972, when GM began marketing Isuzu Faster pickup trucks and they sell with Chevrolet LUV badges. Isuzu started selling I-Markings, Puppies And Soldiers here in 1981, followed by Impulses And Styluses (And their Chevrolet/Geo-branded siblings). Isuzu’s real sales success here appeared to be with its well-priced trucks; the last Isuzu vehicles for the US market were 1993 models, but Rodeos, Soldiers And Friends continued to fly out of American Isuzu showrooms throughout the decade.
Then sales declined as the 2000s dawned. The aging Trooper couldn’t compete with a host of fresh new rivals and was dropped after 2002. The VehiCROSS was too radical to be successful and was discontinued after 2001. The Amigo (also known as Rodeo Sport) disappeared after 2003, leaving only the Rodeo and the axiom in the Isuzu lineup. For the 2005 model year, there were no real Isuzu’s here anymorejust Chevrolets with a new brand (Isuzu trucks were of course still sold, and you can buy a new one today).
GM introduced its new GMT360 SUV platform of the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy And Oldsmobile BravadaSales of those trucks went smoothly and American Isuzu dealers got their own version from the following model year: the Ascender, which was to replace the Trooper.
The only meaningful difference between the Ascender and its Chevy/GMC/Olds siblings was the generous Isuzu warranty. On the negative side, Isuzu was clearly in trouble here, and potential Ascender buyers feared they would be stuck with a truck without a dealer network (a real concern coming so soon after Daewoo owners were referred to the Pep Boys for warranty service in the aftermath of the bankruptcy of Daewoo Motor America).
Ultimately, the Ascender and I-Series did not sell well. GM announced the discontinuation of the seven-seater Ascender before 2006, with rumours about the demise of the five-seater starting shortly afterwards. 2008 turned out to be the last year for new non-commercial Isuzu vehicles in the United States.
Buick and Saab also got their own versions of the Trailblazer, the Rainier And 9-7X.
The actress in this Ascender commercial did a great job of saying the word “minivan” with a certain amount of disdain.