SsangYong drops price

SsangYong has slashed up to $3000 off the price of most of the cars in its range. On the back of the strong Australian dollar, which is making imports cheaper, the South Korean carmaker has passed on currency savings to Australian buyers.

Prices have been slashed up to 8.3 per cent, translating into savings of up to $4000 depending on the model.

And it has repositioned some models, the Kyron and Rexton off-roaders and Stavic people mover. Only Actyon pricing remains the same.

The Actyon, which was launched in April, had already benefited from the more competitive dollar when it was released.

The Australian dollar is trading at an 18-year high of more than US85c and some economists are predicting it may reach as high as 90c by the end of the year.

SsangYong Australia's general manager sales and marketing Brad Larkham says, the price cuts makes the company's range better value, especially when combined with high equipment levels and the low operating costs of its turbodiesel engines.

“It is simply a matter of giving customers the benefit of the increased competitiveness of the Aussie dollar and ensuring we are ahead of the game in a fiercely contested market,” he says.

“Automotive companies are quick to pass on the cost when our dollar depreciates but often slow to return the favour when dollars goes up. We thought it was time to reverse that trend.

“The fact is we have been able to secure a much better buy price from the Korean factory and that means better value on all fronts.”

Larkham says SsangYong considered adding electronic stability control to its vehicles but thought the price cuts were of more value to customers and would also help raise brand awareness. However, stability control will be offered at some point, he says.

“We'd love to have it across the board and the day will come when it will happen,” he says.

The top-of-the-line Rexton Auto Limited is now $4000 cheaper with a new price of $49,990. The entry-level Stavic is $32,990, a saving of $3000.

Larkham says the Stavic in particular is one of the best-value packages on the market.

“The facelifted Euro IV-compliant Kyron is also a great example of our enhanced value,” he says.

The top-of-the-range 2.7-litre auto Kyron has had $3000 cut off its price to $38,990 while the 2.0-litre manual drops $2000 to $32,990.

Modest equipment changes mean the Stavic gets steel wheels in place of the alloys, while the Rexton gets 16-inch alloys rather than an 18-inch alloys. So far this year SsangYong has sold just over 1400 vehicles and it remains a small player in the local automotive scene.