SsangYong to relaunch with new Musso ute

SsangYong has announced it will re-enter the Australian market after a two-year hiatus in the fourth quarter of this year by launching its new Musso Ute, new Rexton large SUV and new Tivoli compact SUV.

The Mahindra-owned South Korean brand, which parted ways with independent Australian importer Ateco Automotive in 2017, will be represented Down Under by the wholly owned national sales company, SsangYong Motor Australia.

Established this month, SMA appointed former Haval Motors Australia chief Tim Smith as its first managing director on June 11 and is planning a national retail network of about 40 dealers, many of which were former SsangYong outlets.

SsangYong says all three of its launch models will come “loaded with features” including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a mix of petrol and diesel engines and “a promise of great value for money”.

First revealed in Korea in January as the Rexton Sports, and coming with a unique suspension tune for Australia, the new SsangYong Musso Ute will enter the hot 4x4 pick-up market dominated by the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton – Australia’s three most popular new vehicles in June.

It went on sale in Europe in June, powered by a 132kW/400Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel mated to six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, and offering a requisite 3500kg towing capacity.

SsangYong’s new Musso one-tonner will be dual-cab-only (no single-cab is planned), but a longer 5.4-metre version with 400mm longer tray will join the range in early 2019.

Based on the same ladder frame will be the new Rexton SUV, a large off-road wagon first revealed in March 2017 as a direct competitor for the Toyota Prado and Fortuner, Ford Everest, Holden Trailblazer, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Isuzu MU-X, Haval H9 and LDV D90.

The seven-seat Rexton 4x4 is powered by SsangYong’s own 133kW/420Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, matched with a seven-speed Mercedes-Benz automatic transmission with low-range gearing, and is claimed to deliver a class-leading 3500kg tow capacity.

SsangYong’s third relaunch model will be the Tivoli small SUV, which has been on sale in other markets since 2015 and in long-wheelbase seven-seat XLV form since 2016. Neither Tivoli model has been sold in Australia previously.

We understand both models will be offered here, where SsangYong’s two-pronged Tivoli range could target small SUVs like the Mazda CX-3 and mid-sizers like the top-selling CX-5, with prices ranging from the low to high $20,000s.

Further afield, expect SsangYong to release an all-new Korando medium SUV – as previewed by the 4.5m-long e-SIV electric SUV concept at this year’s Geneva motor show — by the end of 2019.

The new Korando platform is one of three SsangYong is co-developing with its parent company Mahindra, which will produce its own all-new small SUV by 2020.

Matching a wide range of car-makers, SsangYong offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Europe and could follow suit in Australia.