SsangYong electric ute coming in 2024

Troubled Korean car-maker SsangYong has confirmed it plans to launch an all-new, all-electric ute by the end of next year and it could look a lot like the ‘O100’ dual-cab concept (pictured here).

KG Mobility (SsangYong’s new global brand name, which is yet to be adopted in Oz) this week confirmed a new battery-powered pick-up is “due for launch December 2024”.

And it’s almost certain to make its way into Australian SsangYong showrooms after that, as the brand continues to build its customer base Down Under, where its sales are up by more than 80 per cent so far this year.

However, don’t expect SsangYong’s first EV ute to be an LDV eT60 rival or as big as a Ford Ranger or even the Korean brand’s own Musso, because it will be based on the same car-style monocoque chassis as the Torres EVX mid-size electric SUV (also pictured here).

That means it’ll likely be easier to drive and park than bigger utes like the Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton, which are based on a rugged ladder-frame chassis, but it won’t have as much tray or passenger space and won’t go as far off-road as its larger rivals.

SsangYong Australia is understood to be considering the new ute for the local market, where it could become the first ute of its type available.

Its business case is likely to solidify as a growing number of smaller car-based utes gain popularity globally, such as the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz and Toyota Stout, which are also under consideration for Australia.

Few details on the new ute have been disclosed but we now know the vehicle will employ BYD battery technology, as part of a deepening industrial alliance between the Chinese car-maker and KG Mobility.

“This agreement will see battery packs produced in Korea integrated into the Torres EVX and the company’s new BEV pick-up, which is scheduled for mass production in the second half of 2024, and in other applicable vehicle models,” said KG Mobility.

BYD will itself launch an as-yet-unnamed dual-cab ute in Australia next year, initially fitted with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain outputting a reported 364kW, followed in 2025 by an EV version.

The same year will also see the Ford Ranger PHEV arrive and Kia launch its first ute, followed in 2026 by an EV version.

The new SsangYong ute’s exterior design may be inspired by the O100 electric urban ute concept revealed in April this year. It was originally expected to be launched in 2023 after SsangYong executives spilled the beans back in 2018.

But since then the company was dumped by former owner, Indian car-maker Mahindra, before it filed for bankruptcy in 2020, putting the brakes on new vehicle development.

But now having signed a technical alliance with the world’s second-biggest EV-maker, the brand appears to be on the comeback trail.

KG Mobility chairman Kwak Jae-seon also hinted that the Korean brand will offer a class-leading EV battery warranty globally, including for its upcoming urban pick-up.

“We received an excellent response from domestic electric vehicle consumers by offering a 10-year, one-million-kilometre battery warranty, the highest in the world,” he said.

SsangYong is also working with BYD to develop a new range of hybrid powertrains for next-generation vehicles, which will bear fruit in 2025 with a new Torres-based petrol-electric vehicle.

The Korean brand’s CEO, Jeong Yong-won added: “By expanding the line-up of eco-friendly vehicles through cooperation with BYD for the joint development of next-generation hybrids, KG Mobility has laid a strong foundation for more stable growth.”

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