SsangYong seven-seat SUV to take aim at Land Rover Discovery Sport ~ station of gear

SsangYong's SUV range will grow in 2020 with a new platform set to spawn 7-seat SUVs and MPVs

2016-10-07 09:40

Korean SUV brand SsangYong has confirmed that it will be launching a seven-seat model to rival the Land Rover Discovery Sport, Kia Sorrento and Hyundai Santa Fe by the end of the decade.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, CEO of SsangYong Motor Company, Johng-sik Choi said, “We will be developing a new D-segment global monocoque platform to build a D-SUV and D-MPV in the next five years.”

• The Korean Land Rover? SsangYong's plan for future growth

Ssangyong currently has two platforms, favouring a monocoque for cars like the Tivoli and a ladder-frame platform for its bigger SUVs like the Rexton. Ssangyong used the recent Paris Motor Show to preview the next Rexton with its LIV-2 concept (pictured).

“As an off-road player we like to keep a frame-type vehicle, but completely modernised,” Choi told us. “We specialise and it differentiates us from others. A tough environment suits our cars.”

“SsangYong has 65 years of brand heritage, coming from a body-on-frame chassis and diesel engines.”

Choi also confirmed he was planning to increase production to 500,000 cars per year, using technology from within his own company, parent company Mahindra and the LG U+ telecommunications arm of Korean electronics giant LG.

Can SsangYong challenge Land Rover in the large SUV segment? Let us know in the comments section...

Steve Fowler

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