It’s SsangYong’s turn to prove its mettle

ALL models that are sold in the Philippines—from left, the Tivoli XLV, Tivoli, Rodius and Korando—were subjected to an 800-kilometer road test in Korea by Philippine journalists.

Over 20 years ago, three Korean automobile brands broke in to the Philippine market aiming for a sizeable chunk of it. As a cheaper alternative to Japanese cars, the two bigger brands managed to achieve considerable success, thanks in part to niches in the market that had to be filled. But quality issues caught up with that success, that their progress in general, stagnated.

The smallest of the three, SsangYong, actually made quite an impression with the MB100, being the only “luxury” full-sized van in the market.

Of course, it came under the badge of the three-pointed star, which really was a boon to its sales. Back when waiting lists were unheard of, people signed up, waited, and bought in.

It did suffer the same fate as the other Korean brands, and actually took the worst hit due to quality and reliability issues. To cut the story short, SsangYong eventually had to tap out.

Back with a vengeance

Give a car company 10 to 15 years to tighten up its loose ends and level up (especially with gargantuan financial backing), and it’d be one the main reasons for the biggest car company in the world to reassess its perceived complacency, and shift strategies—as with the case of Hyundai and Toyota.

Early this year, SsangYong returned to the local market via SsangYong Berjaya Motor Philippines, Inc. with all-new nameplates and iterations of previous ones, namely the Tivoli, Tivoli XLV, Korando and Rodius.

It is, by all accounts, a major comeback for the brand, with an entire vehicle lineup on offer. At its helm is industry veteran David Macasadia, as managing director.

A few months ago, I took part in SsangYong’s first ever media drive, from Manila to Bataan and back, shifting from car to car along the way, and took careful note of the blank slate that the brand was counting upon to be filled up with favorable reviews.

The drive was successful and enjoyable, and members of the media were thoroughly impressed.

I had discussed with Mr. Mac (as we fondly called Macasadia) that it’s a lot more difficult to reintroduce a brand than to launch one. Still, Mr. Mac seemed more than up to the task, and so were the vehicles SsangYong planned on latching its Philippine comeback on.

Riding the wave, making ripples

ENGINES from a fast track assembly line at SsangYong’s Changwon engine plant

The common denominator in SsangYong’s line of new models for the Philippines is that they’re all SUVs, and this is exactly in line with its vision for the years to come.

With the significant increase in SUV sales locally, particularly in compact and subcompact SUVs, it’s apparent that SsangYong is training its crosshairs on the Ford EcoSport, which had gained success because of its niche positioning and pricing.

To prove that the new SsangYong is a worthy competitor, the Korean auto firm took a few auto-journos to Korea. We spent more than 800 kilometers on the road crisscrossing few cities in the very SUV lineup that SsangYong has in the Philippines.

Our first stop was at SsangYong’s 9,260,000 square-feet Pyeongtaek Plant, to get an insight on its design principles and future direction, and to get an insider’s look of its cutting-edge assembly lines.

Complying with global standards, the plant produces over a quarter of a million units annually, mainly of the monocoque-framed Tivoli and Korando models.

It isn’t the biggest automotive assembly plant I’ve visited, but it certainly struck me as one of the most efficient—with machinery outnumbering human operators, of automation utilized to perfection.

YOUNG H. Song

We had a chat with SsangYong’s executive director for Domestic and Overseas Sales, Young H. Song, about the company’s plans for the future, specifically in the Philippines.

Song pointed out that the brand would certainly go head to head against the top sellers in the Philippines with its newly introduced lineup on the merits of performance, reliability, unique design, and of course reliable after-sales support—which our local market would have to be amply reassured of, if SsangYong were to reach its goals.

Desirability opens doors

Back in SsangYong’s design center, where we were requested to surrender our cameras and phones and just concentrate on their presentation, it’s quite evident that their thrust is design-driven.

Given that some of their releases from years back didn’t exactly excel in the aesthetics department, their current design direction seems to be headed in the right direction.

Dramatic inspiration from nature and light theatrics aside, their concept vehicle designs are downright smashing—like the XAV-Adventure compact SUV concept (debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show), which the upcoming SsangYong Korando will be based on.

THE SsangYong XAV concept car captures the bold design direction of the Korean company for SUVs.

Equipped with either a 1.6-liter gasoline or diesel engine, and an E4WD system, two rear-mounted electric motors powered by a Lithium battery, that provides hybrid driving modes for the vehicle, which also sports a smart suspension system that automatically adjusts to the terrain it’s traversing.

SsangYong also previewed the LIV-1, its full-sized premium luxury SUV concept that has yet to debut at the Paris Motor Show next month.

This will be the basis for what could replace the SsangYong Rexton next year. It symbolizes “Dignified Motion” as a design concept, and by the way it looks, it certainly is promising with its imposing size, yet luxurious and refined presence.

Character lines found in the current Tivoli and Tivoli XLV were expertly carried over, and translated fluidly onto the LIV-1 and their other concept vehicles that have yet to be revealed to the public.

SsangYong obviously has its direction for the near future well mapped out.

Affirmation at 120 km/h

On the very nicely paved highways that seamlessly interconnects every city and province in Korea, SsangYong’s affirmation about how driven it is to take on the reigning giants in the industry, became apparent.

PROFILE of the SsangYong LIV 1 concept car

Concentrating on SUVs in its model lineup now and in the future doesn’t necessarily mean putting all of its eggs in one basket. It reveals how committed it is, on where its expertise lies, and how this will help gain new ground and meet its goals in the Philippine automobile market.

Based on what we’ve seen and experienced on this trip, we know SsangYong is definitely capable of that.

Photos by Ardie O. Lopez