One of the more unpronounceable names in all of autodom is SsangYong Motor Company, a South Korean automaker who doesn’t export their vehicles to the US. That’s good news for a couple of reasons, one for having a name that doesn’t roll off of the tongue with ease. The other reason being the company has been on life support since January when it went into receivership, a move which placed the automaker one step away from bankruptcy liquidation. American car buyers are shying away from bankrupt Chrysler and troubled GM, why add SsangYong to the mix?
51% owned by SAIC, a Chinese automobile manufacturer, the loss of SsangYong probably would have been small to the South Korea economy as the automaker ranks behind Hyundai, Kia and GM Daewoo in sales while just ahead of Renault Samsung among the five Korean automakers. Currently, SsangYong builds three models — the Rexton, Kyron and Rodius S, a family of SUV, crossover and people hauling vehicles built chiefly for the passenger market.
Ugliest Vehicle Ever Built?
By the way, the Wikipedia file photo shows the Rodius S which may explain just why SsangYong is having a difficult time of things. Auto critics the world over have called the people hauler the ugliest vehicle ever made which is good news for GM as the Pontiac Aztek apparently has met its match. With seating for seven, nine or eleven passengers, the three or four row Robius S has all of the personality and appeal of a Cadillac hearse.
SsangYong does have a distributorship network in place for the UK where all three of the company’s current models are sold. That UK entity recently reported that the automaker is of more valuable operating as a going concern instead of being liquidated, meaning the company has passed an important test to ensure its survival.
SsangYong C200 Diesel-Electric Hybrid
Moreover, the company is planning to cut its workforce and go ahead with a new model, the C200, which has been described as a compact urban vehicle. The C200 will offer the usual gas and diesel models but it also offer an unusual diesel-electric hybrid configuration which SsangYong hopes will help stimulate sales. Available in front or all wheel drive, the C200 is expected to go into production by year’s end, just after the company emerges from receivership.
Of course, given the current trend toward global consolidation, SsangYong’s future may hinge more on the fortunes of state-owned SAIC than on other factors, even the relentless growth of the Hyundai-Kia juggernaut which is on its own quest to eventually become the world’s biggest producer of passenger vehicles.
Sources: SsangYong Motor Company, Wikipedia
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