The Isuzu Aska was a nameplate used by
Isuzu
, commonly known as Isuzu (, ), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines ...
of Japan to denote its
mid-size
Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
sedans from 1983 to 2002. Originally the Aska was a version of
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
'
J-car produced by Isuzu, but after Isuzu pulled out of manufacturing passenger cars the nameplate was applied to
rebadged
In the automotive industry, rebadging (also known as badge engineering, an intentionally ironic misnomer in that little or no actual engineering takes place) is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. T ...
versions of the
Subaru Legacy
The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru from 1989 to 2025. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Leg ...
(1990 to 1993) and
Honda Accord
The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States sinc ...
(1994 to 2002) sold through Isuzu's Japanese distribution network.
The Aska replaced the
Isuzu Florian
The Isuzu Florian is an intermediate class car manufactured by Isuzu in Japan from November 1967 until 1983. The Florian's body remained essentially the same through its unusually long life cycle, being afforded only two moderate facelifts. The Is ...
in Isuzu's lineup and was discontinued in 2002 without a replacement.
The name comes from the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
word, "Asuka", which is the old name of the
Asuka Village in the
Nara Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
of Japan. Because the name "Asuka" is likely to be mispronounced in foreign countries, the "u" was taken away from the name, presenting the model as the "Aska".
__TOC__
First generation (1983–1989)
The original Aska was developed as a part of GM's ''J-car'' program and was a replacement for Isuzu's dated
Florian. In contrast to fellow J-cars from other GM divisions, the Aska only came in one body style, a four-door sedan (the
station wagon
A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
body style on the Florian was always relatively unpopular). The Isuzu J-car variant differed most notably in the rear styling from other J-car variants. From 1983 to 1984, the Aska was known as the "Florian Aska", before being renamed simply "Aska" in 1985.
The car was launched in March 1983 with carburetted 1.8 and 2.0 litre gasoline engines and a
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
, going on sale a month later. In August 1983 the Turbodiesel followed, with . In October 1983, a
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
and fuel injected version of the 2.0 litre engine, which developed 150 PS, joined the lineup as the LJ Turbo.
In November 1985 a version branded by the German
tuner Irmscher
Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider.
It was founded in ...
(specializing in Opels, they cooperated with Isuzu on some other models as well), this version featured a distinctive body kit and became somewhat of a cult object among some car fans in Japan.
In September 1984 the innovative (but ultimately unsuccessful)
semi-automatic NAVi5 system became available for the naturally-aspirated Aska 2.0.
This was an
automated manual transmission
The automated manual transmission (AMT) is a type of transmission (mechanics), transmission for motor vehicles. It is essentially a conventional manual transmission equipped with automatic actuation to operate the clutch and/or shift Gear train ...
with an electronically-operated clutch, long before Alfa Romeo's
Selespeed
Selespeed is the name of an electrohydraulic manual transmission, automated manual transmission used in Alfa Romeo cars, developed by Italian company Magneti Marelli and made by Graziano Trasmissioni.
The Selespeed is an automated manual gearbox w ...
. In March 1985 the diesel also became available with the NAVi5 transmission, and from September 1986 the LG Turbodiesel was also available with it. The Aska underwent a very subtle facelift in July 1985, which was also when the "Florian" portion of the car's name was dropped.
The first generation Aska was discontinued in March 1989; production totaled 108,512 cars. Isuzu did not have a contender in this segment for about a year's time until the second generation Aska was presented.
Export markets
South America (Chile, Ecuador)

From 1984, the Aska was assembled in
Arica
Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
from
CKD kits and sold as Chevrolet Aska in the Chilean domestic market and in
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
. Chilean Askas came in three equipment levels (LT, Limited, and Deluxe), with two engines and either automatic or five-speed manual transmissions. While the two lesser versions both received a 1.8-litre coupled to the five-speed, the Deluxe got the larger 2-litre with , only fitted with the automatic transmission.
South-East Asia and New Zealand
The Aska was exported to
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, where it was known as the Isuzu JJ, and to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
as the
Holden Camira (JJ) between 1984 and 1987, in lieu of the JD Camira, manufactured in Australia because the previous Australian-sourced JB Camira fared badly in the New Zealand market (nonetheless, the JD series wagon was imported concurrently from Australia).
General Motors New Zealand switched back to the updated Australian version (JE) in 1987 due to the strengthening of Japanese Yen. In
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, the two-liter version with was briefly sold as the "Holden Aska" alongside the 1.6-liter Camira.
Second generation (1990–1993)
With the exception of the American market, the J platform did not continue into the 1990s. Not having the resources to develop a mid-size car on their own, Isuzu forged a short-lived alliance with
Subaru
is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...
. This provided for Isuzu to supply Subaru with
Isuzu Bighorns (rebadged as the Subaru Bighorn), while Isuzu rebadged Subaru's mid-size
Legacy
Legacy or Legacies may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Comics
* " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline
* '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics
* ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press
* ''Legacy ...
sedan as the Isuzu Aska, beginning in June 1990. Both rebadged models were sold only in the Japanese market.
There was also a
Subaru Leone
The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese automaker, car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word ''leone'' is Italian for lion.
It was released as a replacement for the Subaru 1000 and was the predecessor of the Subaru Im ...
Van version briefly available, badged as the Isuzu Geminett II.
The
EJ series engine was offered in both 1.8 and 2.0 liter
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
s. The engine has either single or double
overhead camshaft
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustio ...
architecture and
pent-roof,
cross flow cylinder firing chambers.
The 2.0 liter fuel delivery was managed with
sequential multiport fuel injection, and the 1.8 liter engine used a modified fuel delivery system with single point throttle body fuel injection called
SPFI. The DOHC 2.0 liter
non turbocharged engine had a dual stage
intake manifold
An inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an internal combustion engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinder (engine), cylinders. The word ''manifold (engineering), manifold'' comes from the Old Eng ...
.
The 2.0 liter vehicle came optional with Subaru's AWD system while the 1.8 came with FWD only. As with all other Askas, this was only ever available with four-door saloon bodywork. The Aska was discontinued in May 1993, as the Subaru deal came to an end.
Third generation (1994–1997)
Later, Isuzu entered a more substantial model-exchange alliance with
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
. Among other models, it encompassed the rebadging of the
Honda Accord
The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States sinc ...
sedan as the Isuzu Aska. This model was presented in March 1994, after stock of the Legacy-based, previous generation Aska had been sold out. The only difference to the Accord was the grille and logos.
It was only offered with a two-liter four-cylinder engine, combined with a four-speed automatic transmission. The model code assigned to it by Isuzu was CJ1. Production came to an end in September 1997, with sales from stock continuing for another two months.
Fourth generation (1998–2002)
Introduced in November 1997, this was the second generation of Accord-based Askas - thus the third generation Aska was the fifth generation Accord and the fourth was the sixth generation Accord sedan. The Aska remained a Japanese-only model and was discontinued in 2002. Model codes were CJ2 for the 1.8 and CJ3 for the 2.0. The engines produce respectively and both were available with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The differences between this and the Accord were limited to the grille, logos, and wheels. One additional change was that the engine head cover had the Honda logo removed, with only "VTEC" remaining.
The fourth generation Aska received a light facelift in June 2000. This change included new bumpers, redesigned taillights, interior updates, and cleaner engines. Production ended in March 2002, with sales from stock continuing until September. This marked the end of Isuzu passenger car sales, 49 years after their first car was presented.
References
External links
*
Photos of the Irmscher Aska*
Isuzu Aska Owners' Club "J2" (1st-gen Askas)
{{Isuzu modern timeline
Aska
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Mid-size cars
Sedans
Cars introduced in 1983
1990s cars
2000s cars
Cars powered by boxer engines
Cars discontinued in 2002