Photo: SsangYong
The Rexton is old news, even for SsangYong. There’s no denying a successor is duly needed, and that next-in-line will go live at the end of March the 2017 Seoul Motor Show in South Korea.
Originally based on the platform of the W163 M-Class, the Rexton never did it for SsangYong’s attempt to be taken seriously in competitive markets such as Western Europe. The South Korean automaker has been at it since 2001, but it never succeeded. There’s a glimmer of hope for the new model, though.
Spied in near-production form many times since spring 2016, the model SsangYong refers to as Y400 is touted as a bit of a renaissance for the brand. Its creator labeled it as being a “Premium Authentic SUV,” while its physique is said to be inspired by the Parthenon, the Greek temple located in Athens.
Beyond the marketing jibber-jabber, just look at it. In no way is this a beautiful SUV, but it looks tough and modern, rugged and dependable. It’s a step in the right direction for SsangYong, I’ll give you that. The interior isn’t shabby either, with brushed aluminum surfaces, wood trim, perforated leather upholstery, and a generously sized touchscreen infotainment system. The dash’s design has a few Skoda Kodiaq cues to it, but only a little bit.
SsangYong further mentions that the chassis of the all-new Rexton or whatever this thing will be called is rear-wheel-drive by nature, which is the proper way to do it in the mid-size sport utility vehicle segment. 63 percent super-high tensile steel is used for the frame and body shell, a detail that should pay dividend in terms of safety, handling dynamics, and weight.
But will the Y400 wash away the bad publicity coming courtesy of 16 years of dreary Rextons? Only time will tell. Chief executive officer Choi Johng-sik certainly thinks so: “We will further increase our global sales based on our strengthened lineup including the facelifted cars and all-new models such as the Y400, a large premium SUV slated to be launched this year.”
On that note, 2016 was an important year for SsangYong for a very simple reason. For the first time since 2007, Mahindra-owned SsangYong turned back to profit, with total sales of 155,844 units and a net profit of 58.1 million won. The Tivoli-branded models sold best in 2016 (85,821 units).
Spied in near-production form many times since spring 2016, the model SsangYong refers to as Y400 is touted as a bit of a renaissance for the brand. Its creator labeled it as being a “Premium Authentic SUV,” while its physique is said to be inspired by the Parthenon, the Greek temple located in Athens.
Beyond the marketing jibber-jabber, just look at it. In no way is this a beautiful SUV, but it looks tough and modern, rugged and dependable. It’s a step in the right direction for SsangYong, I’ll give you that. The interior isn’t shabby either, with brushed aluminum surfaces, wood trim, perforated leather upholstery, and a generously sized touchscreen infotainment system. The dash’s design has a few Skoda Kodiaq cues to it, but only a little bit.
SsangYong further mentions that the chassis of the all-new Rexton or whatever this thing will be called is rear-wheel-drive by nature, which is the proper way to do it in the mid-size sport utility vehicle segment. 63 percent super-high tensile steel is used for the frame and body shell, a detail that should pay dividend in terms of safety, handling dynamics, and weight.
But will the Y400 wash away the bad publicity coming courtesy of 16 years of dreary Rextons? Only time will tell. Chief executive officer Choi Johng-sik certainly thinks so: “We will further increase our global sales based on our strengthened lineup including the facelifted cars and all-new models such as the Y400, a large premium SUV slated to be launched this year.”
On that note, 2016 was an important year for SsangYong for a very simple reason. For the first time since 2007, Mahindra-owned SsangYong turned back to profit, with total sales of 155,844 units and a net profit of 58.1 million won. The Tivoli-branded models sold best in 2016 (85,821 units).
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