The Isuzu Axiom is a mid-size SUV introduced by Isuzu in 2001 for the 2002 model year. The Axiom is derived from the Isuzu Rodeo and was intended to be Isuzu's response to the popularity of car-based SUVs such as the Toyota Highlander, replacing the Trooper as Isuzu's flagship vehicle in the United States. Exclusively sold in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, the Axiom was built alongside the Rodeo in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

at Subaru Isuzu Automotive, Inc. The peculiar styling and truck-based platform was not well received in the marketplace, and the Axiom was discontinued and replaced by the

Chevrolet TrailBlazer The Chevrolet Trailblazer is an automobile nameplate used by General Motors for its Chevrolet brand since 1999 for several SUV models: * TrailBlazer, a name of appearance package for the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer used between 1999 and 2002 * Chevro ...

-derived

Isuzu Ascender The Isuzu Ascender is a mid-size SUV built by General Motors for Isuzu. The 7-passenger Ascender was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Isuzu Trooper. The 5-passenger Ascender was introduced for the 2004 model year as a ...

in 2004, leading to Isuzu's withdrawal from the manufacture and sale of passenger vehicles in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

in 2009. The Axiom had two trim levels: base and the up-level XS. The XS trim had features like fog lamps, a sunroof, heated front seats, auto-dimming mirror with Homelink, 12 speaker premium audio, and leather upholstery. Isuzu Axiom (rear)

The name "Axiom" was determined by a naming contest held by Isuzu, and was won by Dr. Hakan Urey from

Redmond, Washington Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. With an ann ...

, who suggested the name and won his own Axiom in 2001. The word means a statement or proposition that is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. The Axiom is available with a Torque-On-Demand

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

system, and a direct-injection 6VE1-DI V6 engine and Aisin Warner AW30-40LS automatic transmission was added in 2004, boosting power from 230 to 250 hp (172 to 186 kW). A new chrome bar grille and new liftgate chrome that stretched tail light to tail light was also added. The Axiom was discontinued in July 2004 after only two or three years of production and the Lafayette plant was retooled to build the

Subaru B9 Tribeca The Subaru Tribeca is a mid-size crossover SUV made from 2005 to 2014. Released in some markets, including Canada, as the Subaru B9 Tribeca, the car derives its name from the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Built on the Subaru Legacy plat ...

. With the retirement of the Rodeo and Axiom, Isuzu, which once sold a complete line of cars,

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s and SUVs, no longer offered any Japanese-built consumer vehicles in the

(from 2006–2009, the lineup consisted only of rebadged

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

vehicles). In 2013, a recall was issued for the Isuzu Axiom for frames with severe rust issues,

NHTSA The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rel ...

Campaign Number 13V547000. Similar related vehicles, 1998–2002 Isuzu Rodeo and Honda Passport NHTSA Recall Campaign Number 10V436000, and Isuzu Amigo in 2012, Campaign Number 12V306000. The Axiom is a slightly diluted production version of the 1999 Isuzu ZXS concept that debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. Isuzu also built 3 Axiom concepts: the 2001 Axiom XSF, 2002 Axiom XSR, and 2003 Axiom XST. The 2001 movie ''Spy Kids'' and its 2002 sequel featured an Isuzu Axiom as part of a promotion, even having a lenticular poster and an RC car made by

RadioShack RadioShack, formerly RadioShack Corporation, is an American retailer founded in 1921. At its peak in 1999, RadioShack operated over 8,000 worldwide stores named RadioShack or Tandy Electronics in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Austra ...

References

External links

{{Isuzu United States

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

Mid-size sport utility vehicles Cars introduced in 2001 All-wheel-drive vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States