Ssangyong Rexton News

SsangYong's facelifted Rexton large SUV is expected to arrive in Australian showrooms in early 2020 with a tweaked looked and very minor changes in specification.Shown in overseas form, the new Rexton wears a new honeycomb grille that now tucks in below t

Australia's best new cars are now one step closer to being announced, with judges finalising the Top 10 models for each 2019 CarsGuide Car of the Year award.

SsangYong is struggling to make significant headway into Australia’s tough, shrinking market since relaunching as a factory-backed operation in December last year.

After an absence from the Australian market of nigh on two years, SsangYong has relaunched the brand here with four 2019 models.

Pricing and details of the SsangYong Rexton 2019 model range have been announced, with the Korean brand's big family four-wheel drive arriving with aggressive pricing and plenty of equipment.

Korean manufacturer SsangYong will re-enter the Australian market in November 2018, with a four-strong model line-up consisting of three SUVs and a dual cab ute.

After nearly a 24-month absence, South Korean carmaker SsangYong will mark its return to Australia later this year with fresh products.

Soaring fuel prices will change the driving habits of a nation with motorists driving 20 per cent less over the next 12 months, according to SsangYong boss Russell Burling.“It's only a matter of time before a pint of beer is cheaper than a pint of fuel,” Mr Burling says. “I reckon that in the next 12 months people will drive 20 per cent less to save on fuel costs.“If fuel keeps going up, and it will, people will look for ways to drive less, whether that is car pooling, catching the train or dropping one car."“It is going to be a massive change in lifestyle. Fuel relates to food, to transport, to goods . . . to everything we do and need. It's going to be a huge change and I don't think people realise that yet.”Mr Burling says the prospect of a fuel price spiral played a large part in SsangYong's of vehicles.“We reacted by going 100 per cent diesel,” Mr Burling says. “Diesel-fuelled cars are our most efficient and we believe diesel is the answer. I would think there is going to be a definite change in direction of what people drive . . . you can see that already in registrations. Small cars are booming and large cars are falling away.”While SsangYong is still a niche player in Australia - selling 200 cars last month and aiming for a 3000 total this year - Mr Burling is confident the diesel strategy will carry the company into the future.A drive of the current range illustrates that while SsangYong is not likely to challenge the established segment stars any time soon; there has been improvement.The Kyron medium SUV is a well equipped unit but the two-litre version, at least, suffers from a lack of performance. The optional five-speed automatic pales beside the DSI six-speed and the car will only be better once the new gearbox flows through.With select-on-the-fly all-wheel drive, the Kyron has a real off-road capability and is a less nervous drive on the road if left in 4WD high range.Standard fare on the car includes ESP, ABS, 18 inch alloys and front and side airbags.Sitting atop the SsangYong range is the giant Stavic people mover with seven and nine-seat capacity. In its home environment there is also an 11-seat option but it has wisely been ignored for Australia.If cars were rated on space for your dollar the Stavic would be at the top of the table. The car is huge - and it drives like it. The 2.7-litre diesel produces a handy 121kW of power and 340Nm of torque but the chassis and suspension can not disguise the bulk of the car.The model roll-out for SsangYong will continue over the next couple of years with a small SUV front-wheel drive with six-speed auto due early next year, a replacement for the Rexton large SUV in early 2010 and a full range of passenger cars still under consideration.“The final decision to take them has not been made yet,” Mr Burling says. “I have seen the cars and in the next six to 12 months we will make the final decision on price positioning and whether we should take them. The other thing is whether they are available. Our cars will be made in Korea but we will only get them after they have satisfied the home markets.”Mr Burling says that while some of the passenger cars were already on the design boards at Rover when the British company was acquired by SsanYong's owners, Shanghai Automotive Industries, they are all on new platforms.“The cars will have an east-west engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox,” he says. “We are not interested in entering a segment (light and small) where you can't be profitable. It is already overcrowded."“We certainly like being in the ute segment and the SUV segment and the people mover segment. Yes, we want to get into the car segments but it is going to be two-litre and up for us.” Small torqueThe star of the SsangYong range is undoubtedly the Dual Sports Cab Utility, above, which benefits immeasurably from the addition of the six-speed automatic gearbox from Albury manufacturers DSI.The extra cog - and the quality of the shifts - does sterling work in reducing the coarseness of the basic car, easing the strain on the two-litre diesel as it is much easier to keep the engine in the fat of the 310Nm torque band without hunting.“We will be launching a Tradie version in the next couple of weeks at $24,990 and that will have drum brakes on the rear but that is purely market demand,” SsangYong boss Russell Burling says. “People are looking for a lower price so we are getting in to launch what we will call the Tradie - it's a 4x2, white only, manual only, steel wheels and a diesel. A 4x4 version will also be available at $27,990.” 

Yet there is one Chinese-owned brand already gaining a foothold. Shanghai Automotive Industries, the largest of China's burgeoning number of car companies, has quietly acquired a controlling interest in Korean manufacturer SsangYong. “SsangYong is owned by the SAIC with a 59.1 per cent share,” SsangYong Australia managing director Russell Burling says. “They are joint venture partners with General Motors and Volkswagen and are in the process of introducing their own brand in China.” Burling says that while SAIC is growing within China the company also provides a stable base for research and development for SsangYong and a freedom from the financial strains many other car companies labour under. “They are one of the wealthiest of the car companies and Beijing is the owner so I don't think we are going to have a lot of problems with financing in the future,” Burling says. He believes the acquisition of the Korean manufacturer was an export strategy that brought SAIC unexpected benefits. “SAIC bought Ssangyong for that purpose; to do all the exporting,” Burling says. “People don't understand export out of China is not a given. All of SAIC's planned exports will be built in Korea. “There is no capacity in China to export. This is the great fallacy; everybody says China is going to rush and pollinate the world with their cars. “I believe their home market, if their product is good, can take every car they build so why would they need to go through the drama of exporting. “Within a few years China will be the world's top car market. It's already well on the way.” Burling says that apart from the export strategy, SsangYong has provided SAIC with some unexpected benefits. “I think SsangYong was a surprise package for SAIC. From what I have been told they bought it thinking they would get a nice little brand but have been very surprised with the technology, the sharing with the Europeans, the quality they can build and the technology and designers they have within SsangYong, particularly with diesel.” SsangYong currently sells diesel-engined cars across its range in Australia including the Actyon SUV, Sports Ute and the Rexton 4WD. That acquired knowledge gels well with SAIC's internal new-car model plans which revolve around the design and technology they inherited as part of the purchase of British brand Rover. Burling says the Rover influence is not a retrograde step. “Some of these cars were already on the drawing board at Rover when SAIC bought the design centre but they are not just variants on the old Rover models,” he says. “They are on all-new platforms with a range of east-west engines and six-speed gearbox. “If we decide to take the cars there is still a question over whether we will be able to get them. While our cars will be made in Korea they will only be made available to us after the home market demand is satisfied.” Burling says SAIC plans to have a model in every segment but SsangYong Australia would be much more selective.  

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.