Speaking at the mu-X’s launch, Isuzu Philippines Vice President for Sales, Yasuhiko Oyama says they are targeting to triple their market share in the mid-sized SUV segment.

“With the outgoing mu-X, we peaked at around 15 percent market share,” shared Oyama. “However, because we were in the process of winding down our orders, that number has dropped to about five percent. With the all-new mu-X, we believe that we can hit around 10 percent market share by end of this year, and around 15 percent by 2022.”

IPC has every right to be bullish with the mu-X. It is, after all, the only one in its segment to get a full re-design. This is in comparison to the Toyota Fortuner and the Nissan Terra which are just refreshes, or in carmaker parlance, “Big Minor Changes.”

Being the freshest SUV offering aside, IPC is still making its base LS variant available for budget-conscious consumers. Priced at P 1.590 million, it’s still the most affordable mid-sized SUV despite packing a 6-speed automatic. It comes with bi-LED headlamps, a 10.1-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, and vehicle stability control as standard.

“The mu-X LS is meant to cater to buyers upgrading from sedans or MPVs,” shares IPC Product and Marketing Department Head Robert Carlos.

Despite the bullish attitude, IPC President Hajime Koso remains very cautious moving into the fourth quarter of the year.

Koso says that while they have ample stocks of the mu-X until the end of the year, supply may become constrained. This is down to the on-going global automotive parts shortage. Aside from semi-conductors, Isuzu’s assembly plant in Thailand has been affected by the lack of other parts sourced from suppliers in neighboring Malaysia and Vietnam as well.