MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Robert Peters has a lofty title and huge ambitions but at the moment, his office is about as nicely decorated as an unfinished vacant apartment.

He’s got a phone, a few chairs and a computer, but that’s about it. The walls are bare.

Robert Peters says Isuzo is in Canada to stay

Peters is the vice president, Canadian Operations for Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada Inc., and the man tasked with building one of this industry’s newest companies, Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada Inc. (ICTC). So he is bent on changing that spartan office décor.

The company started operating in August and Peters says he intends to grow its presence north of the 49th parallel until it dominates the low-cab forward (LCF) class three-to-five market just as it does currently in the States.

Until now, Isuzu-built LCFs have been available in Canada as GMC W-Series trucks. And while those GMC trucks will still be available, Peters says, the head office in Japan decided to bolster the Isuzu badge in Canada by opening the new company.

Says Makoto Kawahara, Peters’ boss and President of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and ICTC. “Customers may have been familiar with our products, but not the Isuzu brand.”

The first manifestation of the Isuzu arrival was when Berk’s Intertruck in Duncan, B.C., a Volvo dealer, hung out its shingle as an Isuzu dealership in September. Also, Peters just inked a three-year lease for the corporate office in Mississauga, Ont. He plans to expand the digs in the future, and he has already assembled a team of sales and service reps across Canada.

The newer Isuzu’s are getting bigger

“Now we’re in the process of dealerizing the country. We are, I want people in the industry to know, here to stay,” Peters says.

Simultaneous with the announcement of the Canadian company, Isuzu introduced some big improvements on its N-Series for the model year 2008. The emphasis on these vehicles will be increased driver productivity and, for the first time, an optional gasoline engine.

The new Isuzu’s are also getting bigger. The longest is in a 212-in. long-wheelbase version for 24-ft bodies. The previous maximum was 176 in. It’s based on the 14,500 lb-GVWR, with a 132-in, wheelbase powered by the 5.2-liter 4HK1-TC turbocharged intercooled diesel. Power gets to the wheels via the new Aisin A465 heavy-duty six speed automatic with double overdrive transmission. Future products for the N and the W series will also include the NPR/W3500 and the NPR-HD/W4500 gas-powered crew cab, powered by the 325-hp Vortec six-liter V-8, mated to the Hydra-Matic 4L80 four-speed automatic.

The longer wheel-base NQR/W5500 and NRR/500HD models are powered by the 5.2-liter overhead cam diesel delivering 205 hop and 441 lb ft of torque.

Bob Peters thinks that one of the company’s strongest selling points in the next few years will be the fact that Isuzu trucks have been meeting Japanese emission control standards for years, now. The 2008 diesels all feature an integrated oxidation catalyst and diesel particulate filters, but as Peters puts it, “we have more experience with emissions technology than any truck company in the United States.”