GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Tivoli to herald sales surge

Ssangyong's all-new Tivoli is set to become the fifth SsangYong sold in Australia if it arrives later this year as planned – in September.

Joining the Korando and Rexton SUVs, along with the Actyon Sports ute, the compact SUV could be the lucrative sales breakthrough the Korean car maker desires.

With 10,000 sold in the first two months in its home country of South Korea, the Tivoli is off to a good start, but SsangYong hopes this will soon ramp up to a considerable 100,000-a-year worldwide – impressive considering in 2013-2014 the marque sold a total of 140,000 vehicles.

Costing $320m and taking 42 months to create, the Tivoli is SsangYong's most thoroughly-developed car, undergoing more durability testing than any other model is its line-up, the manufacturer claims.

Powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine that generates 91kW and 157Nm of torque, the Tivoli will eventually offer a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine also, according to SsangYong.

Transmission choices include a six-speed manual and six-speed conventional auto, supplied by Japanese component maker Aisin. Both front- and all-wheel drive versions will be offered.

Measuring 4195mm long, roughly the same size as the Nissan Juke, the Tivoli is a "dynamic urban SUV", in SsangYong's own words. It is based on a brand-new platform that allows the Asian car maker more flexibility in the design and the features, inside and out.

Measuring 1795mm wide, the Tivoli is the widest model in its class, SsangYong claims, with capacity to seat five and stow 423 litres of goods in the boot.

High-spec models come with a seven-inch touch screen and there are several customisation options available for the interior, including six different instrument panel colours and three leather upholstery options: red, white and black, with matching stitching.

Dual-zone climate control, electric driver's seat, funky alloy wheel designs, push-button engine start, cooled/heated seats, Bluetooth connectivity, heated steering wheel, reversing camera and sensors, automatic lights and wipers, not to mention USB and HDMI ports are available. It also comes with seven airbags and stability control.

Positioned below the Korando, the Tivoli is expected to be priced well below $25,000 but, according to Daniel Cotterill, spokesman for Ssangyong's local distributor, Ateco Automotive, the SsangYong Tivoli is "not absolutely certain for Australia yet".

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