Final Isuzu Crosswind has rolled off the assembly line
Isuzu Crosswind wraps up over 20 years of production
It's official: The Isuzu Crosswind is no more. PT Isuzu Astra Motor Indonesia announced that they have discontinued the AUV (Panther, as it's called there) with no direct successor in the pipeline. As a result, it wraps up 21 years of production worldwide.
So why did Isuzu Indonesia discontinue the popular model? The reason is the same as the Philippines: emissions.
Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry declared that all diesel-powered vehicles sold new must be Euro IV compliant by March 10, 2021. With the Crosswind/Panther still using the old 2.5-liter, Euro II diesel, Isuzu had no choice but to drop the AUV altogether.
Before that, the Crosswind/Panther was the last traditional AUV. Mitsubishi stopped the worldwide production of the Adventure in 2017, while Toyota transformed the Tamaraw FX Revo into the Innova in 2004 as an MPV.
Introduced in 2000, the Crosswind served as the replacement for the Hi-Lander in the Philippines and the second-generation Panther for the rest of Southeast Asia. It was loosely based on the first-generation Isuzu Rodeo and the TF pick-up from the early '90s. When it debuted here in 2001, it built on the success of its predecessor and became Isuzu Philippines' top-selling model for over 15 years. But what made the Crosswind unique is the transmission options. Aside from a five-speed manual, it was also available with a four-speed automatic. That made it the only diesel-fed AUV with an automatic.
Through the course of its production, the Crosswind received six facelifts. The first one was in 2005 when they gave it an updated face and dropped the Hi-Lander tag. It received more variants in 2005 and 2007, along with minor tweaks inside and out. A major update arrived in 2011, adding more standard equipment along the way. In 2015, it gained a new bumper and reverted to multi-reflector headlights. Its final facelift was in 2017 with an updated instrument cluster. Isuzu Philippines wrapped up production later that year, but it was still offered in Indonesia until 2021.
