Isuzu Ute Australia gets new top boss

Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) has appointed a new managing director as the former boss returns to Thailand to head up Mitsubishi's operations there.

Junta Matsui took over the top job yesterday, taking over the reins from Hiroyasu Sato – who had occupied the role for four years.

Originally hailing from Yokohama City, Japan, Matsui joined the Isuzu Business Division of Mitsubishi Corporation in 2008, overseeing operations at Tri Petch Isuzu Sales Co., Ltd., until 2012, before assuming responsibility for new business developments across the Auto and Mobility divisions of Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, India and Africa.

Matsui will lead Isuzu's board of directors, which includes; Takeshi Yasui (who oversees parts, aftersales and accessories), Koichiro Yoshida, (who is responsible for sales, marketing and product planning), and Reiko Sato (who leads finance, IT, HR and administration). Sato became IUA's first female director in January 2022, taking over as deputy managing director from Takuji Ozawa.

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Junta Matsui, Isuzu MD

Outgoing head Hiroyasu Sato said he was "sincerely thankful for the support over the years, proud of IUA's resilience and tenacity during the last few turbulent years and is confident in Mr Matsui's business development experience across numerous global markets the key to continuing to lead IUA to future success."

"IUA's position in the market has never been as strong as it is today, and we have our dealers and customers to thank for that. Undoubtedly, Mr Matsui's extensive history of leading various global mobility divisions for Isuzu fills me with absolute confidence that, under his leadership, IUA will continue to go from strength to strength," Sato added.

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Reiko Sato

In 2022, Isuzu was one of Australia's top 10 best-selling brands for the first time ever, with 35,323 vehicles sold and delivered.

IUA is currently positioned as Australia's 10th best-selling automotive brand, with 1931 D-MAX utes and 2053 MU-X SUVs shifted so far across the first two months of 2023.

"Under Mr Sato's watch, there have been clear results thanks to the continued to focus on sustainable sales growth, whilst also concentrating on customer satisfaction and retention—three crucial areas that I plan to continue driving forward," Matsui said.

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"With the market showing promising signs of recovery and both the D-Max and MU-X proving popular towards the top of their respective segments, I'm hopeful we can build on the momentum that Sato-san has set for IUA."

In June last year, just hours after revealing it had won the 2021 Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction Award for New Cars, Isuzu took the top gong with market research group Roy Morgan too, sharing top prize honours with Subaru.

To win the 'Car Manufacturer of the Year' award – the second consecutive year it had won – Isuzu topped the survey results with a score of 96.1 per cent for 2021.