Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Isuzu Motors has had negative engagement on climate policy in the United States and New Zealand in 2020-2022, appearing to oppose stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards. Isuzu holds membership to several regressive industry associations in the United States, India, and Japan.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Isuzu has limited top-line messaging on climate policy. In a March 2021 press release, the company appears to have expressed support for the Japanese government’s Green Growth Strategy, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Isuzu has not, however, indicated whether it supports the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Isuzu has had negative engagement on climate-related regulations in the United States and New Zealand, particularly around GHG emissions standards. In the United States, in a February 2020 consultation response, Isuzu appeared not to support the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA)’s higher proposed GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing that they are too stringent and unrealistic. In New Zealand, in a November 2021 consultation response, Isuzu Utes opposed the government’s higher proposed CO2 emission standards for light-duty vehicles in the Clean Car Standard Amendment Bill, citing high economic costs and warning that Isuzu would have to pull out of the New Zealand market if implemented. It appeared to call on policymakers to abandon the CO2 targets, arguing that “they go too far, and they go too fast”.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Isuzu appears to support a long-term role for the internal combustion engine, advocating in its 2021 Sustainability Report for the use of carbon-neutral fuels over the rapid decarbonization of heavy-duty transportation. In its 2020 CSR report, published in August 2020, the company stated that biofuels and synthetic fuels were referred to in the Japanese government’s “Revolutionary Environmental Innovation Strategy”, and appeared to promote hybrid configurations, as well as vehicles powered by natural gas. In the UK, in a May 2023 UK consultation response found via FOI request, Isuzu advocated for a weakening of the UK’s ZEV mandate targets for vans, and called for numerous flexibilities that may weaken the stringency of the policy. In New Zealand, in a November 2021 consultation response, Isuzu strongly opposed the proposed EV mandate for light-duty vehicles in the Clean Air Standard Amendment Bill, warning that it would have to pull out of the New Zealand market if the regulation was implemented.
Industry Association Governance: Isuzu has disclosed its membership to only one industry association on its corporate website and in its 2021 CDP response. It has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations. Isuzu’s President, Masanori Katayama, is the Vice Chairman at the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). The company is a member of several regressive trade associations globally including the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren). It is also a member of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which has engaged negatively with Australian climate policy for light-duty vehicles.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2024.*