Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. announced that it started production of its low-cab-forward, medium-duty diesel engines to meet the newest and strictest emissions standards.

2011 Isuzu N-Series trucks equipped with the clean, powerful and economical new powerplants have already began to roll off the line at Isuzu Motors Limited's factory in Fujisawa, Japan and will begin arriving in U.S. dealerships in early August 2010.

"Isuzu is a world leader in clean diesel technology," said Shaun Skinner, executive vice president and general manager of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. "So it's no surprise that Isuzu trucks would be the first in their class to meet these new regulations. The great news for our customers is that these engines are not only environmentally friendly, they are also more powerful and more fuel efficient than the engines they replace."

The new Isuzu N-Series trucks are the first medium-duty low-cab-forward trucks on the market to offer selective catalytic reduction technology with diesel exhaust fluid injection to meet three exacting and stringent requirements:

• Compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 emissions standards, which require reductions in NOx

• Compliance with the California Air Resources Board HD-OBD requirement that trucks over 14,001 lbs. GVWR employ on-board diagnostics equipment to monitor and verify NOx and particulates emissions levels

• Clean-idle certified