The theme for news on this blog today is obviously SUVs. This is the new Ssangyong C200 Aero and Eco concepts, I think you can guess which is Aero and which is Eco, just look at the more “Eco” colour for the Eco. Ssangyong calls this Audi-like machine tyled by Giugiaro ItalDesign a “CUV” or Compact Urban Vehicle when in reality it’s a compact SUV, but if BMW can call their X6 a coupe I suppose anything goes.

The new CUV has a 2,650mm wheelbase and a length of 4,400mm, which is actually smaller than the BMW X3. It’s more of the length of the short wheelbase latest generation RAV4 with the wheelbase of the long wheelbase RAV4.

The Ssangyong C200 Aero uses a turbocharged 1.8 liter engine while the C200 Eco uses a 2.0 liter turbodiesel. Both are mated to a 6-speed automatic by default but Ssangyong says they will also make available a manual for those who prefer to do their own cog-shifting.

More shots after the jump including one of the interior.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Ssangyong is in dire straits and is currently under court receivership, but while its financial books get sorted out the show must go on, the Seoul Motor Show that is, and the company will be exhibiting the Ssangyong C200 Eco Concept there.

The C200 is a SUV similiar in size to the Tiguan, RAV4, CR-V and Qashqai and uses Ssangyong’s first monocoque chassis for an SUV. Under its hood is the same 175 horsepower 2.0 liter turbodiesel engine as the first C200 and this is mated to a 6-speed automatic. Ssangyong has also used alot of aluminium in its supension components to help reduce weight. They intend to give the C200 an European feel when it comes to ride and handling.

Also set to be released at the show is a hybrid turbodiesel Kyron, combining Ssangyong’s turbodiesel engine with a Torque Split Deevice which combines or cuts off power with an electric motor. Ssangyong says tests have shown that fuel efficiency can be improved by 25%, while emissions can drop by 10% for nitrogen oxide and 15% for particulates.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

The first manufacturer to hit the dust in this depressing economy could be Chinese-owned South Korean manufacturer Ssangyong. There is a whole list of problems right now happening with the company, which makes trucks and SUVs based on Mercedes-Benz technology, such as the Ssangyong Actyon SUT.

First of all, a huge amount of debt is goin to mature early this year, and Ssangyong needs a cash injection from its Chinese parent SAIC to be able to settle these debts. Things aren’t going that well for Ssangyong financially, as it recently posted its 4th consecutive quarterly loss of US$21 million.

But before SAIC injects any cash into Ssangyong, it wants to make sure the cash will be well-spelt. Ssangyong must restructe its worker union and lower labour costs, which as usual is rejecting any changes, just like their overpaid counterparts in Detroit. Understandable of course, who would want to be paid less in this already tough times, but it’s better to have a job that pays less than no job at all?

The workers union are also asking for the Chinese executives in Ssangyong to resign, obviously oblivious to the fact that a Chinese company owns them. SAIC is obviously not very happy about all of this at all, and there is talk that it may just pull out of Ssangyong and let it sink. Ssangyong has also tried to get aid from the South Korean government, but all it got was a response from the Ministery of Knowledge Economy that the government “is not planning direct financial support” for Ssangyong.

Rather than go into bankruptcy for debt restructuring, an unnamed official from the Korea Development Bank says that it would liquidate the company instead, but no firm decision has been made on this matter.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

You’ve seen the new Cosworth Range Rover Sports, now here’s something else by Azfal Kahn. Based on the Rexton 270 SPR, the Project Kahn Ssangyong Rexton R-Line features 22 inch Kahn Design RST alloy wheels, lowered springs, and a Kahn Design sports exhaust. On the interior you get a combination leather interior using black nappa leather and soft Alcantara, complete with red stitching. A rear spoiler is optional.

The equipment is the same as the 270 SPR, featuring automatic climate control, ESP stability control, active rollover protection, hill descent control, ABS brakes, automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers, front and side airbags, electric folding door mirrors and heated seats. The audio system has been removed as it seems their target customer market would most likely want to install their own insanely pimped up sound system – think of multiple subwoofers in specially designed enclosures at the rear.

The 2.7 liter turbodiesel engine under the hood puts out 186 PS and 402Nm of torque from 2,400rpm, mated to a Mercedes-Benz T-Tronic 5-speed auto. The Ssangyong Rexton R-Line comes with a 3-year warranty and 3 years European roadside assistance. Look after the jump for a few more shots of the R-Line Rexton.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

You may not recognise the car you see above as a Ssangyong. Granted its still in concept form but at the same time it’s still a far cry from the odd things you see coming out of their design studio. Trucks like the Actyon are actually very decent but sadly do not enjoy much sales in Malaysia because of its unorthodox looks.

This will all change from now on, and hopefully it will entice more people to try out the Chinese-owned Korean marque with German hearts. The concept above was styled by Giugaro ItalDesign, and is meant to showcase Ssangyong’s future design language. Giugaro is working on the designs of future Ssangyongs, including a total of 20 new models built on 5 new platforms over the period of 5 years beginning 2009.

The C200 is also the first monocoque Ssangyong, and the first front wheel drive car from the company, although an all-wheel driven version of the production car is also planned. Powering it is a 175 PS inline-4 petrol engine mated to a 6-speed auto.

The new model line-up will still consist primarily of the SUVs and trucks that Ssangyong has traditionally built, but more passenger cars other than the Chairman is in the works. Some of the new Ssangyongs will be based on Rover platforms, which parent company SAIC also owns.

Look after the jump for more angles of the C200 Concept.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd has launched an updated version of the Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT with a major technical change that should be very welcome – a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This will allow the punchy 2.0 liter XDi 200 XVT engine to stay in its torquey diesel powerband more often, and the cheaper 2.0 liter road tax of RM439.20 will be easier on pockets as well.

The XDi 200 XVT engine is based on Mercedes-Benz technology and features 3rd generation common rail direct injection. It produces 141 PS at 4,000rpm and 310Nm of torque between 1,800rpm and 2,700rpm.

It is mated to a new 6-speed automatic gearbox with Thumbtronic manual shifting control, which allows the user to shift the automatic gearbox gears manually via button controls on the steering wheel. The new 6-speed automatic is sourced from Australian company Drivetrain Systems International. The 4WD system has electronic shift on the fly which allows you to switch from 2-High, 4-High and 4-Low via a dashboard switch.

Other updates to the new Actyon Sports includes a chrome front grille, a Shark Fin style radio antenna, chrome center adjustable air vents, the addition of rear seat belt buckles with storage pockets as well as a driver’s footrest. I noticed that the Actyon was missing the footrest when it was first launched forcing my left foot to rest at a slightly uncomfortable angle, so it is great to hear that Ssangyong and Competitive Supreme has taken feedback from the public into account.

More images of the updated Actyon SUT after the jump.

Related Posts:
Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT Pick-up Truck Test Drive Review

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Ssangyong has announced that the company will be exhibiting a turbodiesel-hybrid concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show which will improve efficiency of their existing vehicles by about 30%. No other details has been released, so we’ll just have to wait until Geneva rolls by just next month to find out what the Korean manufacturers have in store for us.

Related Posts:
Ssangyong Actyon Sport Pick-Up Truck Test Drive

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd recently entered their new Ssangyong Actyon SUT into the Rainforest Challenge Terengganu 2007. The SsangYong Adventure Squad consisted of driver Mr. Francis Khoo and co-driver Encik Mohd Sharul Bahrin, team manager Mr. Stiven Sim, a technical team consisting of Ho Siong Peng, Liau See On, Simon Sim, Chan Meng Wai, Kamal and Ken Chin, and of course a Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT with some technical upgrading to meet the minimum technical requirements for participating vehicles according to the challenge rules.

Here is a list of technical upgrades:

Chassis

• 3 inch body-lift
• Heavy duty coil springs and shock absorbers.
• Mud terrain tyres – Simex Extreme Centipede – 32″ x 9.5″ x15″

Protection Equipment

• Custom built front bullbar.
• Reinforced rear towing points.
• Heavy duty Side Steps.
• Rear Deck Roll Bar complete with Hi-lift Jack and spare Tyre-Mount.
• Front cabin Roll Bar.
• Racing Seats with 5-point safety harnesses for the driver and co-driver.
• Removal of rear seats and floor carpet.
• Large survival box mounted in the rear cabin.

Recovery Equipment

• Warn Winch – 8274 rear mounted with plasma rope
• Warn Recovery Set
• Heavy Duty Ground Anchor

The Actyon SUT completed all the Special Stages successfully before the Elephant Mud-hole and clocked one of the fastest times in the Special Stage 4 during the Prologue Stage.

UPDATE: There was some errors in the blog post before this, it has been corrected!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

What does the Subaru Tribeca and the Ssangyong Kyron have in common? They both had unorthodox design elements in their initial design, but after a facelift, they look alot better! Even though the Ssangyong Kyron was an able machine, alot were turned off by the fussy design and the shape of its rear taillamps which were somewhat shaped like a shield. The facelifted Kyron gets a new tail end design, a few other design updates here and there, and is 50mm longer and 10mm wider.

More shots of the facelifted Kyron after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

The Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT is a pick-up truck that stands out among it’s competitors, and I’m not just talking about its somewhat unorthodox looks which resembles a shark with a gaping mouth, especially in white. But if you’re willing to put it’s looks aside and are interested to know more about the features and capabilities of the Ssangyong Actyon, look after the jump.

After you get over the brutal front, you’ll immediately notice that the Ssangyong Actyon Sports has a lower ride height than most of it’s pick-up peers to facilitate easier entry and exit into the passenger cabin. The cabin also seems larger, and the bedliner is shorter because of this. The test car we drove was the Ssangyong Actyon Sports with the automatic transmission, but it was from an earlier batch and the trim level isn’t really the same as the production Actyon that you will be able to buy in the showrooms. But no worries, I will mention what’s in the showroom cars and what are not.

Ssangyong took a different approach with the Ssangyong Actyon Sports truck and the Ssangyong Actyon SUV. Unlike Isuzu, Ford and Toyota who have made SUVs from truck-platforms (Everest from Ranger, Fortuner from Hilux, etc) you think of the Ssangyong Actyon as more of a truck derived from an SUV platform.

The nice interior is the most car-like of all the trucks I’ve driven, which is pretty much all the modern trucks except for the D-Max and Hilux. The electric seats and electrically adjustable and retractable wing mirrors are a welcome feature. The rear bench has three headrests and is slanted like a passenger car, and rear legroom is plenty unless you have someone big-sized sitting in front of you.

The footwell seems abit narrow for me, but other smaller sized people had no problems with it. I also noticed the lack of a footrest for your left foot in the automatic model is abit annoying, but Ssangyong says it can develop one locally for the production model. The combination of a lack of a foot rest and the narrow footwell made my left leg a little fidgety, it was like I didn’t really know where to put it. The leather seats could also do with abit more padding, especially the rear bench.

The 2H-4H-4L selector is a knob in a series of vertically-aligned knobs on the right of the center dashboard area. Our test cars had an automatic digital air conditioning panel but the production cars will have one of those usually three-knob manual aircond controls. You have two cupholders neatly hidden underneath a sliding cover, and a proper glovebox as well as another storage area in the arm rest. There is also a sunglasses holder and a ticket holder, as well as small compartments integrated into the door panel’s arm rests. The handbrake is in a strange position – on the left of the gear shifter instead of on the right. This might be a leftover from a cabin designed for left-hand-drive.

The dash is a mix of smooth plastic for the areas with dash controls and a nice soft plastic which you can push in slightly when you press your finger against it – one of those soft touch plastics. The large and luxurious-looking leather-wrapped steering wheel has audio controls.

The engine and gearbox combo is not the same as the one in the Kyron, as the Kyron has a 5-speed auto while the Actyon only has a 4-speed, but the Actyon has a VGT turbine while the Kyron only has a normal turbocharger. The Actyon’s engine was amazingly smooth and vibration-free, which was very surprising for a diesel.

Being of a smaller displacement of only 2.0 liters, there was a noticable big pick-up in power in the first gear when the engine is still running off-boost, but right after 1,800rpm boost kicks in with strong force – you wouldn’t want to be caught doing a maneuver like a U-turn at low speeds when that happens because the back would surely swing. The speedometer would rise steadily until 100km/h, but you’d expect it to slow down after that but the torque just kept pushing the truck faster and faster until the pace started slowing down about 160km/h.

The XDi 200 XVT engine is a 4-cylinder third generation common rail direct injection turbodiesel with intercooler that puts out 141 PS at 4,000rpm, and 310Nm of torque between 1,800rpm to 2,700rpm. There are tuning chips in the market that easily push the 141 PS up to 168 PS. The engine is controlled by a 32-bit ECU and common rail injection pressure is 1,600 bar. It is very quiet from inside the cabin around the down at city driving speeds as the revs are kept very low thanks to the high torque – you only notice a loud diesel engine noise at higher RPMs nearer to the redline.

The 4-speed automatic gearbox had normal, power, and winter modes. The gear you are in is shown on the little LCD panel at the bottom of the triple-meter gauges – they move from 1 to 4. The only other automatic car I’ve seen that has this feature is the Mazda3 and Mazda6.

I think it is a smart gearbox somewhat, because if you put the pedal to the metal from a stand still the launch is somewhat slower than if you ease on the pedal gradually. This leads me to believe that in normal mode the gearbox actually tries to help make the launch as smooth and comfortable as possible, something it probably enherited from it’s Mercedes Benz roots. It probably detected flooring it probably would generate too much torque, thus cut down the power a little through the drive-by-wire system.

Top speed that we achieved was about 190km/h on a normal straight in the infamous Ladang Tihsllub introduced by Chips Yap (the straight roads in that area was amazing, I think even the boys at Top Gear would be jealous of us. They can have their airstrip! ), but thanks to some downhill areas we got it up to 195km/h at about 4,250rpm, very close to the redline of 4,500rpm. I must say that the NVH in the cars we drove was really amazing for diesel truck or even SUV standards, for wind noise was missing all the way up to speeds of 170km/h where it started getting abit noticable.

The steering wheel was a rack and pinion setup and had good feel to it – it wasn’t laggy or dampened or anything. Ride was pretty much like an SUV, and road surface inconsistencies caused some bounciness but it wasn’t anything harsh.

A coil spring setup instead of a leaf spring setup contributed much to it’s SUV-like comforts, plus according to Steven Sim who runs a 4X4 shop and organized the off-road session of the test drive, coil springs offer better articulation of the wheels, so offroad performance can be quite good as long as you take the usual strenghtening steps with proper mud tyres, raised ride height and strenghtened shocks. Also responsible for it’s handling and comfort are it’s a 5-link rear axle at the rear and double wishbone setup at the front.

As for safety features, the steel ladder frame chassis has a triple layer contruction and the truck body is reinforced to work as a safety cell for collisions. The steering wheel column is collapsible, and the doors have side impact beams. The doors lock automatically once the vehicle reaches 50km/h, but also unlock automatically in a collision. There are driver and front passenger SRS airbags, and the seatbelts have pre-tensioners with load limiters – they tighten up at first in a collision and then the load limiter loosens it progressively as the airbag deploys. Also present is four-wheel ABS, and there are disc brakes all-round on all four wheels.

The bedliner at the rear is shorter than most trucks but is wider and deeper, and can carry a payload of up to 898kg although Ssangyong is developing an enhancement to bring it up to the regions of 1,100kg. There will be three enhancements for the bedliner – one is a sporty D-pillar for aesthetic purposes which greatly enhances the looks of the truck and I recommend that everyone get it, and the other two is still being developed which is a half-cover, and a full cover for the bedliner.

Other neat features include a mobile illuminated ashtray, remote keyless entry, and an automatic lights-off system to save your battery from going flat if you accidentally leave your lights on when you get out of the truck. Also, one thing I’d consider a “feature” is it’s low displacement of 2,000cc compared to it’s 2.5 liter and 3.0 liter peers. For example, you’d have to pay RM439.20 for the Actyon’s road tax compared to RM898.00 for the Mitsubishi Triton’s road tax per year. It’s also so much lower than the 3.0 liter D-MAX’s steep RM1,878.10’s road tax cost!

The locally assembled Ssangyong Actyon with automatic transmission goes for RM91,989.20 for private registration exclusive of insurance, which costs an additional RM2,627.90 for an insured value of RM91,000 and also a further RM300 for front windscreen insurance. The aesthetic D-pillar I mentioned goes for an extra RM1,120, and is highly recommended as I think it enhances the side-profile look alot. The standard truck comes with cloth seats, but real leather seats (none of those PVC stuff) costs an additional RM1,480. A cheaper 5-speed manual specced more as a workhorse will be offered later and will only have one airbag, drum brakes and the rear, no electric seats, etc.

In standard form, the Ssangyong Actyon Sports does not come with an LSD differential, but Ssangyong says if the customer wants an LSD it will be fitted with no extra cost. However the customer will be adviced to equip the Actyon with an LSD only if he takes the car off road often and it is one of the primary purposes of the customer buying the vehicle. This is because if the Actyon Sports spends most of it’s mileage on paved roads, the LSD usually wears out prematurely – something to do with the grip on paved roads being too much and not allowing enough slip or something, causing wind-up. I think 4X4 guys should understand this better.

I think it’s very capable as a lifestyle vehicle – just pop the full or half cover on the back and treat it as a jacked up sedan that has great diesel fuel economy and a higher ride height to tackle those floods that are happening more often lately. You just have to get over the different styling first, the same problem some have with the Honda City.

Click any of the photos below to view an enlarged version.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

We suddenly have another player in the pick-up truck game – the Ssangyong Actyon SUT. While most of you may have seen the Actyon around the internet in SUV form, there is also a ladder frame pick-up truck that local Ssangyong distributors Competitive Supreme have decided to bring into Malaysia.

With a power output of 141PS at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1,800rpm to 2,700rpm, it is not class-leading as the Ranger TDCi has it beat at 143PS, but it is still one of the more high powered pick-up trucks over here in Malaysia and has the Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Frontier beat at 138PS and 133PS respectively. But what’s different about this pick-up is 141PS and the high torque is achievable from a 2.0 liter displacement engine, while it’s competitors all use 2.5 liter and 3.0 liter engines. This means road tax savings especially if you register the Actyon SUT as a business vehicle.

The XDi 2.0 liter engine is a commonrail direct injection engine based on Mercedes Benz technology, and uses a variable geometry turbocharger. It’s gearbox is a 4-speed unit, and has a low range transfer case, switchable between high and low ranges via push buttons.

The interior looks very passenger car-like, plus there is plenty of creature comforts such as electric powered front seats, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and a black leather interior. It’s definitely looking like good value – good equipment, plus a Mercedes Benz-based engine with a lower displacement to save on road tax.

The Ssangyong Actyon SUT will have a price tag of somewhere in the RM90,000 range, and will be assembled at Competitive Supreme’s plant in Pahang. Look after the jump for more photos of the Ssangyong Actyon SUT.

Look after the jump for more photos and a video.

Source

Video: Ssangyong Actyon SUT pick-up truck

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Malaysia’s Ssangyong importers Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd will be launching an updated version to it’s flagship SUV, the Ssangyong Rexton II on the 15th of August this year. I previously blogged about the Ssangyong Rexton II after it made it’s South Korean debut earlier this year in March. The Ssangyong Rexton II still has much of it’s Mercedes Benz DNA, sporting a 2.7 liter common-rail turbodiesel engine developed together with Mercedes Benz mated with gearboxes from the German marque as well.

The Rexton II will be assembled by Automotive Manufacturers (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, a unit of DRB-Hicom Berhad. Ssangyong will be switching to CKD only for the Rexton after it’s fully imported CBU models are sold out. There are only a few left, so you know what to do if you want a CBU Rexton. No prices yet, but we’ll know later this month.

Related Posts:
Ssangyong Rexton II

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.

Ssangyong Motors, a Korean company owned by the Chinese firm Shanghai Auto Industry Corp (SAIC) will be launching it’s new Ssangyong Rexton II at the end of this month.

When the Ssangyong Rexton was first launched here in Malaysia, one of my friend’s parents had bought it. I was pretty impressed with the feel of the vehicle, as well as the sleek design. It easily broke my perception that everything coming out of Korea looked pretty much mutated. The Rexton’s brother the Stavic does not share it’s good looks genes though.

The Ssangyong Rexton like all Ssangyong vehicles have Mercedes Benz genes in them. Mercedes Benz used to have a stake in the company before Shanghai Auto Industry Corp bought them out. The current Ssangyong Rexton Xdi in Malaysia is powered by 2.7 liter common rail turbodiesel engines developed together with Mercedes Benz. The previous Rexton used 2.9 liter Mercedes Benz turbodiesel engines. There are also 2.3 liter and 3.2 liter petrol engine options.

Competitive Supreme will be bringing in this new Ssangyong Rexton II in August 2006.

Related Posts:
Ssangyong Rexton II CKD in Malaysia

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 15:13:59 +0800.