Isuzu is named after a river in Japan that flows through a province dotted with ancient Shinto shrines. The company opened its doors back in 1916, when the Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. decided to broaden its business to include automobile manufacturing. Isuzu Motors America Inc. was established in 1975. Isuzu was a part of the SUV boom in the 1980s and 1990s, but by 2005 the company was selling only rebadged Chevy trucks. Isuzu stopped selling automobiles in the U.S. in early 2009.
