SsangYong Torres will be Korean brand’s electric SUV

The name of SsangYong’s next dedicated electric vehicle may have just been revealed in a new trademark application with IP Australia for the ‘Torres’ nameplate.

Received by the Intellectual Property office on February 16, the trademark filing is the newest piece of information we’ve got since the SsangYong J100 electric off-roader project was first teased back in July last year.

While no other details have come to light as yet, Electric Vehicle Web is reporting the ‘Torres’ nameplate was originally filed in Korea earlier in the year. Australia and Europe will reportedly be the versatile EV’s two primary markets, thereby making its nomenclature all the more fitting.

For those not up to speed with their geography, the Torres Strait is the sea separating Australia from Papua New Guinea, north of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula.

This is hardly the first time a car-maker has named or planned to name a new model after a local geographical location in an attempt to attract its target market/audience.

The Ford Territory is a notable example, but GWM Haval Australia did a similar thing late last year with its upcoming Haval Dargo SUV, which shares its name with a popular Victorian 4x4 destination and will be marketed as more capable mid-size SUV.

Judging by the tough-looking sketches and renders released when the project was announced, it seems SsangYong has its own plans for a capable SUV, with unconfirmed reports suggesting an all-electric ute spin-off similar to the current SsangYong Rexton and SsangYong Musso siblings could also be on the cards.

Spy images of the Torres showing the zero-emission high-rider in various stages of development have been cropping up around the internet for a few months now,

At first glance, the low ground clearance, less than generous approach angle and large-diameter wheels don’t bode especially well for off-road use, but nor are the Rexton or Musso endowed with class-leading off-road capability.

Whether or not the Torres serves as an electric alternative to the Rexton or a more urban-minded rival for popular SUVs like the Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento – or the upcoming Skoda Enyaq electric SUV – remains to be seen.

However, intel out of the UK dealer network indicates we won’t have to wait too long to find out, with production due to start this year.

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