GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Ssangyong Tivoli XLV

Ssangyong has teased pictures of a production car based on the XLV Air concept first revealed at the Frankfurt motor show last September.

Now called the Tivoli XLV, the bigger new SUV shares the same 2600mm as the regular Tivoli but is 235mm longer.

The XLV’s extra length sees luggage space increase from 420 to 720 litres. A third row of seating is also expected to be offered, making the small SUV a seven-seater.

Under the bonnet, the production version comes with the Tivoli’s 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Two-wheel drive will be standard but all-wheel drive will be available.

SsangYong Motor Company CEO, Johng-sik Choi, has declared the new SUV will be sold in all of its global markets, including Europe, where it will be released in the second half of this year.

In the UK, the Tivoli XLV is expected to be priced from around $29,000.

However, neither Tivoli model has been confirmed for Australia and local Ssangyong distributor Ateco Automotive remains unable to secure the standard model at a competitive price.

"Being a private importer, we're not obliged to take every model Ssangyong makes -- only those that make commercial sense," said Ateco spokesman Daniel Cotterill.

"We've seen Tivoli – Australia was used for some development testing and we helped them out with logistics – but at the moment we can't get it at a price that would be competitive.

"Effectively, this [Tivoli XLV] this doesn't change anything. We need to get the first one first. We're persisting with it in the absence of anything else we can do."