Isuzu to sell Eliud Kipchoge pick-ups at over Sh9m
Eliud Kipchoge and Isuzu East Africa Managing Director Rita Kavashe launch the Kipchoge Limited Edition Isuzu D-Max on May 25, 2023, at General Motors in Nairobi. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NMG
Isuzu East Africa says its special double cabin pick-up made to honour Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge will be priced at more than Sh9 million.
The dealer will produce only 159 units of the vehicles to mark Mr Kipchoge’s feat of completing a marathon in less than two hours in Vienna in October 2019.
Mr Kipchoge set a new time record of 1:59:40 in the event that was organised by British chemicals firm INEOS.
He has been a brand ambassador for Isuzu since 2017, with the dealer benefiting from his high-profile status as a global athlete.
Isuzu chief executive Rita Kavashe told the Business Daily that the custom-built pick-up, which features insignia of the Kenyan flag and the marathoner’s signature, would sell at a higher price than the standard models that now cost about Sh8.9 million.
This indicates that Isuzu could book revenue in excess of Sh1.5 billion from the sale of the units.
The dealer will give Mr Kipchoge the first of the pick-ups for his use with a purchase consideration in the future.
The pick-ups will be assembled at the dealer’s plant in Nairobi.
This is the first time a custom-built limited edition model of a vehicle has been issued by a Kenyan dealer.
Global automakers occasionally produce editions of their models for various reasons including to mark anniversaries or events of a famous person associated with the brand.
“We thought this is the best way to honour Eliud Kipchoge and we are grateful to our shareholders for supporting us in this project,” said Ms Kavashe.
Special or limited edition models are typically priced higher than the standard ones.
Buyers seeking to own distinct models are the main targets of the one-off production cars. The dealer said the name of each buyer would be engraved in the centre console.
Isuzu says it has received interest from 18 buyers who want to purchase the Kipchoge D-Max whose concept was announced last October.
Fans of the marathon star are expected to be among the buyers of the pick-up.
The dealer is betting on the Kipchoge D-Max to further increase its brand visibility in the commercial vehicle segment where it sells the most units annually, according to data from the Kenya Motor Vehicle Industry Association.
