DAIHATSU fleet customers are being offered Isuzu Troopers as alternatives to the Fourtrak off-roader, which is being phased out by the end of this year.

The Fourtrak has been popular with utility and police fleets as a value-for-money vehicle with off-road capability, but production has now ceased as Daihatsu has been given free rein by parent company Toyota to develop small vehicles with engines up to 1.3- litres.

However, Daihatsus are imported and distributed in the UK by IM Group, which also has the rights to the Subaru and Isuzu franchises, and sales representatives have been trying to steer former Fourtrak customers into Isuzu Troopers.

Paul Flint, used vehicle and fleet manager, said: 'The Fourtrak is 16 years old and the production process is very labour intensive compared with more modern vehicles. The UK has been the biggest market for the Fourtrak in recent years, but we have been scaling down sales for a while.

Luckily we have another vehicle within the group which can fulfil a similar role.'