This nameplate was Isuzu’s North American market version of the company’s sporty Piazza coupe, introduced for the 1983 model year as a sharply styled three-door liftback. The first generation established the car’s identity as an unusual, design-led compact performance coupe rather than a mainstream commuter, and it stood out in Isuzu’s U.S. lineup for its wedge-shaped Giugiaro-era styling and rear-wheel-drive layout. It remained a niche enthusiast model through the 1980s, with a mix of naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions offered over its run.
For 1990, Isuzu replaced the original car with a second-generation model that wore the same name in North America but adopted a new, more modern body and mechanical package. This later version was sold as a coupe and a hatchback and is the Impulse most often remembered today, especially the higher-performance sport-oriented variants that arrived in the early 1990s. The second generation also reflected Isuzu’s then-close ties with Lotus engineering, which helped shape the car’s handling reputation and gave it a following among enthusiasts who appreciated unusual chassis tuning in a compact import coupe.
The nameplate ended after the 1992 model year, when Isuzu withdrew from U.S. passenger-car sales and shifted its focus toward trucks and sport-utility vehicles. As a result, the Impulse is remembered as one of the more distinctive and short-lived Japanese sporty coupes sold in America, spanning two closely related generations under one continuous U.S. nameplate.