SsangYong outlines 2023 strategy

SsangYong has low brand recognition, a reputation for making ugly vehicles and its two-year hiatus from the Aussie market is not a good look.

But in an unusually transparent play, the Korean car-maker has outlined its product plan for the next five years in a bid to convince buyers that SsangYong Motors Australia – the first factory-owned import operation in the 127 countries it sells cars – is here to stay.

On top of relaunching in Australia later in November with four models -- the new Musso ute, new Rexton large SUV, small Tivoli SUV and mid-size Tivoli XLV -- SsangYong has promised to release at least one new model every year until 2022.

“We're not going away -- we're here for the long term,” declared SsangYong Motors Australia managing director Tim Smith, a former Kia and Haval Australia executive.

Smith conceded that changing brand perceptions won’t be an easy task, but said it will be made easier by improved products with less polarising designs.

“The products will do a lot of that [brand-building] work for us,” said Smith, who added that the investment in Australia by SsangYong head office in Seoul was significant.

The headline act of SsangYong’s Australian relaunch in November is the all-new Musso ute.

Like the Actyon ute it belatedly replaces, the Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota HiLux rivalling dual-cab 4x4 one-tonner rides on a robust ladder frame, but this time it gets Aussie-calibrated suspension, a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel and 3500kg braked towing capacity.

The SsangYong Musso ute will joined by the Tivoli small SUV, a rival for the Mazda CX-3, and the Tivoli XLV, a stretched seven-seat version which will take on three-row mid-size SUVs like the Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-TRAIL.

The fourth relaunch vehicle in Australia will be the Rexton large SUV, which is based on the same ladder chassis as the Musso ute and will compete with the likes of the Ford Everest, Holden Trailblazer, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner.

After those four models are launched another three models will arrive next year, starting in early 2019 with a stretched version of the SsangYong Musso ute with a bigger tray and leaf springs instead of coils like the standard Musso.

The SsangYong Tivoli small SUV is expected to be the brand’s top-seller in Australia initially, due to its circa-$20K starting price, but it will be replaced in about 12 months -- roughly August 2019 -- by a facelifted model that will bring more features and potentially a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Currently, the Tivoli has a four-star Euro NCAP rating, while the Musso and Rexton have not been tested.

There’s also an all-new SsangYong Korando medium SUV coming in August 2019. Codenamed C300, it’s a vehicle that is being touted as conquest vehicle for the brand.

“The C300 is the Korando replacement. It may or may not be called Korando because it’s an entirely new car, but it’s probably the most important model for us -- even more than Musso. It’s a game-changer,” insisted Smith.

SsangYong’s Australian chief confirmed that two new engines will be offered with the C300 -- turbo-petrol four-cylinder units displacing 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre, with Australia getting the latter.

It will be hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission and the Korando successor will offer Level 2 autonomy (no hands or feet required). Think autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping.

“We’re jumping into the fattest part of the market. The reason why I’m excited about it is because it’s a full model change. It’s our hero model, our flagship, an important statement for us not just in sales, but in brand, sales and design and where the company is going in the future.

“For us, we’re going to give this vehicle as much attention as humanly possible. It’ll be a strong launch and I want to communicate how much work has gone into making this car. We’ll locally tune it and we’ll do everything to make it as successful as possible,” said Smith.

SsangYong will also reveal two new D-segment vehicles based on a new monocoque platform -- a people-mover and large SUV, both roughly the size of a Kia Sorento. They will get new eight-speed automatic transmissions from Aisin and an updated 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (167kW/350Nm).

The new SUV will sit above the C300 and below the Rexton, while the new people-mover will replace the current Turismo model. Both expected here in late 2019 or early 2020.

The brand has also outlined its EV plans with a silent battery-powered compact SUV that could be on sale in Australia from 2020, according to Smith.

“Would I bring it here [to Australia]? Absolutely. It’s a full EV, with 400km short-range and also a longer-range version planned.

“You’ve seen the prestige guys come out with big statements saying what their fleets will turn into [BMW says 25 per cent of its sales will be EVs by 2025]. If we’re talking about customer choice, we’d be mad not to at least work bloody hard to get that car here by 2020.”

Smith said there were “no plug-in hybrids at this stage”, but the company is looking at 48-volt mild-hybrid models to reduce its fuel consumption and meet stricter US and European emissions targets in the short-term.

As Korea’s third mainstream car-maker after Hyundai and Kia, SsangYong — which is owned by India’s Mahindra — will also deliver facelifted versions of the Musso ute and Rexton SUV by 2022.

SsangYong’s managing director of product planning Sungchin Park also confirmed Level 3 autonomy — no hands, feet or eyes required to drive — will lob in 2023 with the next-generation SsangYong Tivoli compact SUV.

He also let slip that the company is working on an EV ute or pick-up for 2023, but Smith wasn’t convinced it would be a starter in Australia. Stay tuned for more news on that one!

The company hopes to win over buyers with well-equipped, affordable products and is shooting for a strong warranty, hoping to match Kia’s seven-year coverage.

Initially there will be 20-something SsangYong dealerships nationally, but that number is expected to expand 60 over the coming years.

“Our offer to the market will be comprehensive with a strong warranty, local tuning. We will be doing everything in our power to ensure our products, franchise offering and customer service will be as good and better than our competition.

“We certainly think we've learnt a lot from previous experiences and distributors in Australia. Certainly from SsangYong's point of view we know what can work and what doesn't work.

“Going forward, we would love to be part of Australian culture and Australian lives and offer our brand as a real alternative to our competitors.

“That has to be balanced by infrastructure, resources, investment and profitability, but we're not going away — we're here for the long term.”

What’s coming from SsangYong:
Musso — November
Rexton — November
Tivoli — November
Tivoli XLV — November
Musso LWB — Early 2019
Tivoli facelift — August 2019
Korando replacement — August 2019
New D-segment SUV — 2020
New people mover — 2020
EV compact SUV — 2020
Musso facelift — 2022
Rexton facelift — 2022
New Tivoli — 2023
EV pick-up — 2023