Vehicle Manufacturer Isuzu Name New Car Model After Eliud Kipchoge

Published on: Dec 02, 2022 04:12

Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a forty-two-kilometer marathon in under two hours.

Japanese vehicle manufacturer Isuzu has unveiled a new five million Kenyan shilling car model named Eliud Kipchoge. The Japanese automaker unveiled a limited edition Isuzu D-Max model, titled the 1:59 Special. This was in honor of Kipchoge’s achievement of the historic sub-two-hour marathon three years ago on the streets of Vienna, Austria. Rita Kavashe who is the managing director of Isuzu East Africa stated that they will only manufacture one hundred and fifty-nine cars in honor of Kipchoge’s Ineos 1:59 record.

Dubbed the ‘1:59 Special’ the new Isuzu model will be available in the market for purchase in 2023 with Eliud Kipchoge set to own the first of the limited car edition collection. Eliud Kipchoge became the first athlete to unofficially run a forty-two-kilometer marathon in under two hours. The marathon was a specialized race organized by a British multinational chemicals company (INEOS). Kipchoge clocked at 1:59:40 to set the new target.

“These will be limited editions for customers interested in these types of vehicles. We want to celebrate Kipchoge’s success in a different way as a company considering that we have gained a lot since our partnership started in 2017,” Rita Kavashe said during the model launch at Isuzu premises in Nairobi.

In September 2018, the company awarded him a brand new ISUZU D-max and a twenty-million-shillings. Kavashe also added that since they started their partnership with Kipchoge five years ago, their brand has been on the rise.

“Since we started the partnership, our share of the D-Max has grown to 50 percent and that of the double cab has risen to 30 percent.”

Kipchoge, on the other hand, gave a passionate speech about developing a mindset for success.

“Isuzu is my third leg. They are part of my systems that have helped me walk this journey. Isuzu as a sponsor is one of my teammates to help me towards success. The other corporate world should follow what Isuzu is doing to promote sports. Sport is life,” Kipchoge said.