SsangYong in Australia is about to enter a new era as it prepares to launch a new Toyota RAV4 rival and its first electric vehicle (EV) in our market – and it’s getting a new name, to boot.
KGM SsangYong signage has been spotted locally, and CarExpert understands this name will be used for marketing in Australia.
However, CarExpert understands the vehicles themselves won’t wear KGM badging – or SsangYong badging, for that matter – and will instead continue to be branded with the company’s existing winged logo.
The launch of the new name is expected to coincide with the start of Torres sales around October.
Torres
Australia has been a straggler, with the UK having moved to the KGM name in 2023 and New Zealand following earlier this year.
Uniquely, the SsangYong name is set to stick around here – if with a new prefix – whereas most markets have dropped it entirely.
“We have decided to go for a new name to fully utilise the strength of SsangYong Motor,” said SsangYong and KG Group chairman Kwak Jae-sun in December 2022.
“Under the name of SsangYong, the company has a fandom but also has a painful image.”
Torres EVX
KG Group acquired SsangYong late in 2022, and set about renaming the brand as KG Mobility (or KGM for short).
The local rebranding will coincide with the brand’s first all-new product in several years.
The mid-sized Torres crossover is coming in September in petrol-powered guise, with the electric EVX version due in the fourth quarter of 2024.
While the EVX isn’t SsangYong’s first EV, it’s the first one locked in for our market.
Actyon
This week, SsangYong also revealed a revived Actyon, which now appears to be a coupe SUV counterpart to the Torres.
The company says this is under consideration for our market.
The Torres and Torres EVX will join the existing large Rexton SUV and related Musso ute, which both recently received updates.
It’s unclear what will happen to the Korando, SsangYong’s under-achieving mid-sized SUV with which the Torres shares its platform. The current model entered production in 2019, and arrived here later that year.
Torres
The Torres may have bolder, more butch styling than the Korando, but mechanically it’s closely related.
It, too, uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine. This produces 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque.
The Torres EVX drops a combustion engine for a single, front-mounted electric motor with 152kW and 339Nm.
This is powered by a BYD-sourced 73.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, with claimed electric range of 462km on the WLTP cycle.
MORE: Everything SsangYong
