Isuzu to establish $280M commercial EV South Carolina plant

Dive Brief

The automaker’s investment will convert the Piedmont facility to manufacture gas and battery-powered N-series and diesel-powered F-series trucks.

Published March 3, 2025

First published on

Dive Brief:

• Isuzu North America Corp. plans on investing $280 million to establish a commercial electric vehicle assembly plant in Piedmont, South Carolina, according to a Feb. 12 announcement.
• The automaker purchased a 1-million-square-foot facility that it will convert to produce gas and battery-powered N-series and diesel-powered F-series truck models, with a capacity of 50,000 units by 2030, according to the company’s news release.
• The assembly plant will create more than 700 jobs and operations are set to begin in 2027 with plans to expand in 2028, Isuzu said in the release.

Dive Insight:

The large-scale facility will allow Isuzu to consolidate all of its production operations under one roof to streamline processes and improve efficiency.

The building lies on over 200 acres of land, which will enable Isuzu to store completed trucks, as well as manage assembly and logistics operations. The site also provides flexibility for the automaker to respond to demand in the North America commercial vehicle market, Isuzu said.

The facility will introduce a variable-model, variable-volume production system to manufacture internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs. This allows Isuzu to cost-effectively and immediately change course if customer demand fluctuates in the North America commercial EV market.

The Piedmont assembly plant will be the first in the company to use a production line without conveyors or pits, which is part of the system’s implementation. Additionally, Isuzu will use automated inspections to erase operational errors, secure parts traceability and introduce image inspections and other methods to prevent defective production from being discharged, the automaker said in the release.

Isuzu also plans to expand its production base in North America by aiming to increase its procurement of components needed for its battery-powered EVs, as well as grow its automotive technology research and development.

The Piedmont facility is part of parent company Isuzu Motor Limited’s strategy to expand its commercial mobility that it introduced in April 2024. The Japan-based automaker aims to bolster its autonomous driving solutions, connected services and carbon-neutral solutions that would generate 1 trillion yen in sales over the next decade, according to Isuzu’s press release.

The plan includes making North America the region to launch its battery-powered EV business. In August 2024, the automaker conglomerate inked a five-year development agreement with vehicle software supplier Applied Intuition to develop Level 4 autonomous commercial trucks. Isuzu aims to launch the autonomous truck and bus business in Japan and North America in fiscal year 2028.