Having entered the burgeoning B-segment crossover market with the Tivoli, SsangYong is now eyeing the established C-segment dominated by the likes of the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 and Kia Sportage. The company’s next model, expected to go on sale in 2018, will be presaged by the SsangYong SIV-2 concept, previewed in these official renderings ahead of its world premiere at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show in March.
A development of the original SIV-1 show car from 2013, the SIV-2 still wears SsangYong’s latest styling language, but appears to have a slightly more angular design, with more production-ready bumpers and wheels. Inside, the aggressive, futuristic dashboard looks to have been replaced by a more sober design, but with a massive widescreen display that is flush with the instrument cluster.
Under the bonnet sits a 48V mild hybrid powertrain, mating a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine to a small electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. It’s claimed to provide “quiet and efficient driving, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and silent running when idling and at slow speeds.”
Other details includes the promise of lightweight bodywork, a low centre of gravity and a “a chassis and suspension system that can be further developed to create alternative models with high-efficiency powertrains, such as HEV, PHEV and EVs to future proof the SsangYong brand.” As usual, the company claims the car was developed “based on SsangYong’s theme of ‘Robust, Speciality, Premium.'”
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