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SsangYong New design direction could mean a hardcore off-road model
New design language previewed by SsangYong hints at hardcore off-road model to come
SsangYong has previewed the styling of the X200 – its codename for what it calls its ‘next generation SUV.’ If the company’s sketches are accurate, this will look something like a cross between a Jeep Wrangler and a Toyota FJ Cruiser.
With the Rexton and Korando both still many years from replacement, the identity of the new vehicle is something of a mystery. The oldest model in the company’s current range, the Tivoli was only facelifted last year – and this is a crossover whose character would be dramatically at odds with the hardcore appearance of the X200.
SsangYong has also recently revealed what it calls the J100 – a medium-sized SUV which will sit between the Korando and the Rexton in its range. This will be fully electric; like the Rexton, it will also spawn a pick-up variant.
The J100 is scheduled to go on sale in Korea in 2022, with European markets following on. Before this, SsangYong’s fi rst full EV, the Korando e-motion, is due here before the end of 2021 – having been delayed by the global shortage of semiconductors following its introduction in Korea in June.
Again, the sketches for this vehicle show a return to much more aggressive design language than has been apparently in SsangYong’s most recent models. There are similarities to some of Land Rover’s recent products, and in pick-up form the front end bears more than a passing resemblance to the current Mitsubishi. L200.
This inevitably lead to speculation that the J100 will ultimately become the replacement for the current Musso. However this vehicle is still a long way from replacement, with a fi rst facelift since launch in 2018 due to appear on the forecourt towards the end of this year. The current Musso is based on the Rexton, itself recently facelifted, so
this would represent a future change of model emphasis from SsangYong – as well of course as being a move into electric propulsion the likes of which the pick-up market has thus far resisted.
Moving back to the X200, this is currently being talked about primarily in terms of what it means for SsangYong’s future design language. The company’s name for this is Powered by Toughness, a credo which it says combines strength and modernity with the authenticity of its heritage as a specialist 4x4 maker.
Nonetheless, SsangYong is clear that the X200 is not just a styling concept – it’s a real vehicle, one which will join the J100 in moving the company forward. ‘We have reinterpreted our future design vision and product philosophy by drawing heavily on our unique heritage,’ says design boss Lee Kang. ‘With the forthcoming J100 and X200 models, we have drawn a line in the sand in terms of design, and everything from this point forward will follow this new brand design direction.’
So we know what the company’s next generation 4x4. will look like. But what will the X200 actually be? The sketches SsangYong have shown to the world are of an out-and-out off-roader. Of course, traditional 4x4 design will always inform the look of every SUV, but a number of manufacturers (and a whole section of the kit car industry) have sailed into choppy critical waters in the past by creating vehicles that looked like racing cars but were actually just everyday runabouts. The 1980s’ craze for Lamborghini Countach replicas powered by Ford Cortina engines is at the extreme end of the scale – however a vehicle showing the X200’s extremely clear off-road intent but not backing it up with the ability to match would be every bit as dishonest.
So, is SsangYong hinting to us that it’s about to bring out its equivalent of the Wrangler or Land Rover Defender? Fanciful though this may sound, Land Rover had to build a business case for the latter model, as did INEOS for the forthcoming Grenadier – and both concluded that yes, the market is there. And SsangYong, don’t forget, describes itself as ‘the Korean Land Rover.’
With the Grenadier and Defender both starting at around £45,000, and the Wrangler and Landcruiser either side of that, a similarly sized traditional off-road vehicle with SsangYong’s combination of generous warranties and pricing would certainly attract attention.
‘SsangYong will build on the history and heritage of its unique and distinctively authentic SUV designs,’ adds Lee Kang. If the X200 turns out to be as authentic as it looks, the off-road market will be in for a bombshell few people would have seen coming.
SsangYong unveiled the newlook Musso (above) ahead of its debut at the British Motor Show. The J100 (right) will be a medium sized SUV with fully electric propulsion, and will also spawn a pick-up model; the latter is unlikely to be sold in the UK, however the styling in these sketches illustrates the ‘Powered by Toughness’ credo of the Korean specialist’s new design language. So too does the X200 (opposite), whose appearance is extreme enough to suggest that SangYong may be planning a rival to the Jeep Wrangler and new Land Rover Defender
