Isuzu VehiCROSS

The Isuzu VehiCROSS is a compact three-door SUV that Isuzu built from 1997 to 2001, sold in Japan until 1999 and in the United States from 1999. It shares a platform and many components with the short-wheelbase second-generation Trooper, including its V6 engine and the BorgWarner Torque on Demand four-wheel-drive system. Its aggressive styling, with short overhangs, titanium teeth in the grille and black cladding over the lower body, came from an international design team led by Shiro Nakamura. It was first shown as a concept at the 1993 Tokyo International Auto Show and reached production quickly by using inexpensive ceramic body-stamping dies and existing Isuzu parts. Sales were intentionally limited: 5,958 were built, 1,805 for Japan and 4,153 sold in the United States.