Isuzu Aska
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The Isuzu Aska was a nameplate used by Isuzu Motors Ltd. of
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to denote their
mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
sedans from 1983 to 2002. Originally, the Aska was a version of GM's J-car produced by Isuzu, but later, after Isuzu pulled out of manufacturing passenger cars, the nameplate was applied to
rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...
versions of the
Subaru Legacy The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sold ...
(1990 to 1993) and
Honda Accord The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of cars manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States since 1989. ...
(1994 to 2002) sold through Isuzu's Japanese distribution network. The Aska replaced the
Isuzu Florian The Isuzu Florian is an intermediate class car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from November 1967 to 1983. The Florian's body remained essentially the same through its unusually long life cycle, being afforded only two moderate faceli ...
in Isuzu's lineup and was discontinued in 2002 without a replacement, as Isuzu withdrew from the passenger car business completely. The name comes from the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
word, "Asuka", which is the old name of the Asuka Village in the
Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...
of Japan. Because the name "Asuka" is likely to be mispronounced in foreign countries, the "u" was taken away from the name, presenting the model as the "Aska". __TOC__


First generation (1983–1989)

The original Aska was developed as a part of GM's ''J-car'' program and was a replacement for Isuzu's dated Florian. In contrast to fellow J-cars from other GM divisions, the Aska only came in one body style, a four-door sedan (the
station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
body style on the Florian was always relatively unpopular). The Isuzu J-car variant differed most notably in the rear styling from other J-car variants. From 1983 to 1984, the Aska was known as the "Florian Aska", before being renamed simply "Aska" in 1985. The car was launched in March 1983 with carburetted 1.8 and 2.0 litre gasoline engines and a
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
, going on sale a month later. In August 1983 the Turbodiesel followed, with . In October 1983, a
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
and fuel injected version of the 2.0 litre engine, which developed 150 PS, joined the lineup as the LJ Turbo. In November 1985 a version branded by the German tuner
Irmscher Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider. It was founded in ...
(specializing in Opels, they cooperated with Isuzu on some other models as well), this version featured a distinctive body kit and became somewhat of a cult object among some car fans in Japan. In September 1984 the innovative (but ultimately unsuccessful) semi-automatic
NAVi5 The "New Advanced Vehicle with Intelligence 5-speed" (NAVi5, also sometimes written "NAVI5" or "NAVI-5") was an automated manual transmission developed by Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan, and introduced in August 1984. It was initially developed for ...
system became available for the naturally-aspirated Aska 2.0. This was an
automated manual transmission The automated manual transmission (AMT) is a type of transmission for motor vehicles. It is essentially a conventional manual transmission but uses automatic actuation to operate the clutch and/or shift between gears. Many early versions of t ...
with an electronically-operated clutch, long before Alfa Romeo's
Selespeed Selespeed is the name of an automated manual transmission used in Alfa Romeo cars, developed by Italian company Magneti Marelli and made by Graziano Trasmissioni. The Selespeed is an automated manual gearbox with an electronic clutch. In its curre ...
. In March 1985 the diesel also became available with the NAVi5 transmission, and from September 1986 the LG Turbodiesel was also available with it. The Aska underwent a very subtle facelift in July 1985, which was also when the "Florian" portion of the car's name was dropped. The first generation Aska was discontinued in March 1989; production totaled 108,512 cars. Isuzu did not have a contender in this segment for about a year's time until the second generation Aska was presented.


Export markets


South America (Chile, Ecuador)

From 1984, the Aska was assembled in
Arica Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
from CKD kits and sold as Chevrolet Aska in the Chilean domestic market and in
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
. Chilean Askas came in three equipment levels (LT, Limited, and Deluxe), with two engines and either automatic or five-speed manual transmissions. While the two lesser versions both received a 1.8-litre coupled to the five-speed, the Deluxe got the larger 2-litre with , only fitted with the automatic transmission.


South-East Asia and New Zealand

The Aska was exported to
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
, where it was known as the Isuzu JJ, and to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
as the
Holden Camira The Holden Camira is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden between 1982 and 1989. It was Holden's version of GM's J-body family of cars—GM's third "global" car platform. The name "Camira" comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "wind." ...
(JJ) between 1984 and 1987, in lieu of the JD Camira, manufactured in Australia because the previous Australian-sourced JB Camira fared badly in the New Zealand market (nonetheless, the JD series wagon was imported concurrently from Australia). General Motors New Zealand switched back to the updated Australian version (JE) in 1987 due to the strengthening of Japanese Yen. In
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, the two-liter version with was briefly sold as the "Holden Aska" alongside the 1.6-liter Camira.


Second generation (1990–1993)

With the exception of the American market, the J platform did not continue into the 1990s. Not having the resources to develop a mid-size car on their own, Isuzu forged a short-lived alliance with
Subaru ( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...
. This provided for Isuzu to supply Subaru with
Isuzu Bighorn The Isuzu Trooper is a full-size SUV that was produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu between 1981 and 2007. In the domestic Japanese market it was sold as the Isuzu Bighorn, the car was exported internationally mainly as a Trooper but it also ...
s (rebadged as the Subaru Bighorn), while Isuzu rebadged Subaru's mid-size
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
sedan as the Isuzu Aska, beginning in June 1990. Both rebadged models were sold only in the Japanese market. There was also a
Subaru Leone The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word ''leone'' is Italian for lion. It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Impreza. Al ...
Van version briefly available, badged as the Isuzu Geminett II. The EJ series engine was offered in both 1.8 and 2.0 liter
displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
s. The engine has either single or double
overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
architecture and pent-roof,
cross flow A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
cylinder firing chambers. The 2.0 liter fuel delivery was managed with sequential multiport fuel injection, and the 1.8 liter engine used a modified fuel delivery system with single point throttle body fuel injection called SPFI. The DOHC 2.0 liter non turbocharged engine had a dual stage
intake manifold In automotive engineering, an inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the ...
. The 2.0 liter vehicle came optional with Subaru's AWD system while the 1.8 came with FWD only. As with all other Askas, this was only ever available with four-door saloon bodywork. The Aska was discontinued in May 1993, as the Subaru deal came to an end.


Third generation (1994–1997)

Later, Isuzu entered a more substantial model-exchange alliance with
Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
. Among other models, it encompassed the rebadging of the
Honda Accord The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of cars manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States since 1989. ...
sedan as the Isuzu Aska. This model was presented in March 1994, after stock of the Legacy-based, previous generation Aska had been sold out. The only difference to the Accord was the grille and logos. It was only offered with a two-liter four-cylinder engine, combined with a four-speed automatic transmission. The model code assigned to it by Isuzu was CJ1. Production came to an end in September 1997, with sales from stock continuing for another two months.


Fourth generation (1998–2002)

Introduced in November 1997, this was the second generation of Accord-based Askas - thus the third generation Aska was the fifth generation Accord and the fourth was the sixth generation Accord sedan. The Aska remained a Japanese-only model and was discontinued in 2002. Model codes were CJ2 for the 1.8 and CJ3 for the 2.0. The engines produce respectively and both were available with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The differences between this and the Accord were limited to the grille, logos, and wheels. One additional change was that the engine head cover had the Honda logo removed, with only "VTEC" remaining. The fourth generation Aska received a light facelift in June 2000. This change included new bumpers, redesigned taillights, interior updates, and cleaner engines. Production ended in March 2002, with sales from stock continuing until September. This marked the end of Isuzu passenger car sales, 49 years after their first car was presented.


References


External links

*
Photos of the Irmscher Aska
*
Isuzu Aska Owners' Club "J2" (1st-gen Askas)
{{Isuzu modern timeline Aska Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Mid-size cars Sedans Cars introduced in 1983 1990s cars 2000s cars Cars powered by boxer engines