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We reported a
few days ago that Isuzu was deep in a restructuring plan that will see the manufacturer return to its roots of producing
commercial truck and diesel engines for the worldwide market. Well, GM, which owns a 12-percent stake in Isuzu, is going
to give the company a little nudge in that direction by canceling production of the seven-passenger Isuzu Ascender in
February when it closes its assembly plant in Oklahoma City. That will leave Isuzu with the five-passenger Ascender,
the i280 and i350 pickups, all models based primarily on other GM vehicles. Despite that, an Automotive News piece [via The Auto Channel] reports that Isuzu will post a
profit in 2005 for the first time in five years.