Isuzu Direct-Injection Gasoline V6 Wins POPULAR SCIENCE 'Best of What's New' Award

Honored for 'More Power, Lower Emissions'

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 -- The editors of POPULAR SCIENCE magazine have honored Isuzu with a prestigious 2003 "Best of What's New" Award for its 3.5-liter direct-injection V6 gasoline engine. The engine -- introduced earlier this fall as standard equipment on the 2004 Isuzu Axiom and optional on the 2004 Isuzu Rodeo -- is the first direct-injection gasoline engine available on any sport utility vehicle in the U.S. market.

The engine was among only a handful of innovations recognized by POPULAR SCIENCE in the Automotive Technology category of its 16th annual awards, which were announced today at Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall in New York City. Awards were also presented to winners in such categories as Space & Aviation, Computing, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Personal Health, Photography and Recreation.

"'Best of What's New' is the culmination of a year's worth of searching, testing and deciding from among a huge range of products -- all of which stand to change the way we live, work and play," said Scott Mowbray, editor-in-chief of POPULAR SCIENCE.

Specifically, the magazine recognized the Isuzu direct-injection gasoline engine for producing "more power [and] lower emissions [so] everybody wins."

"Automakers abroad that need to squeeze more power from their engines with less gas often use direct-injection (DI) technology," according to the magazine's December issue, which will reach newsstands on November 12. "Typically, DI blasts a lean (meaning light on gasoline) air-fuel mixture directly into the cylinder. Trouble is, that lean air-fuel mixture creates high levels of nitrogen oxides emissions. Isuzu approached DI in a different way. Since DI engines also allow for higher compression ratios than a typical fuel injector, Isuzu pumps a standard air-fuel mixture into the cylinder, but at high pressure. This added pressure makes the gas burn so much more efficiently that the new Isuzu Axiom -- equipped with the first DI engine sold in a mainstream American vehicle -- generates 250 horsepower (20 more than last year's model) while squeezing out 2 more miles per gallon. And it's EPA-certified as a low-emissions vehicle."

The only other vehicles available for sale in the United States to offer direct-injection gasoline engines are the $116,495 BMW 760Li and the Rolls-Royce Phantom, priced well above $300,000. Both of those vehicles require the use of premium unleaded fuel, while the Isuzu direct-injection gasoline engine runs on regular, 87-octane unleaded gasoline.

The "Best of What's New" Award is the latest in a string of accolades for the Isuzu powerplant. The 2004 Isuzu Axiom, which features the engine as standard equipment, has also been nominated for "5Best Trucks of the Year" by CAR AND DRIVER magazine; "Four Wheeler of the Year" by FOUR WHEELER magazine; and "4x4 of the Year" by 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD magazine.

Terry Maloney, president of Isuzu Motors America, Inc., said, "The response to the Isuzu direct-injection engine has been overwhelming, but not surprising. Isuzu is proud to bring an engine to market that produces fewer emissions, gets better fuel economy, and generates more power. And we are deeply grateful to be recognized by the editors of POPULAR SCIENCE, one of the nation's leading consumer magazines, for this achievement."

POPULAR SCIENCE is published by Time4 Media, the world's leading publisher of leisure-time magazines. Founded in 1872, Popsci is the world's largest science and technology magazine, with a circulation of 1.45 million subscribers and a readership of more than seven million people. Time4 Media(R) is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.

American Isuzu Motors Inc. is the U.S. distributor of Isuzu sport utility vehicles and diesel engines. For more information call (800) 662-2464 or access www.IsuzuNewsBureau.com .