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| Models pose next to Ssangyong Motor's Korando Turismo during its launch event at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention Centre in Gangnam, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Ssangyong Motor |
By Kim Tae-jong
Ssangyong Motor is pinning high hopes on the Korando Turismo after the vehicle's launch on Tuesday.
"With the success of our Korando C and Korando Sport, we saw an impressive growth rate last year, which is a good sign for the revival of our brand," Ssangyong Motor CEO Lee Yoo-il said during the launch event at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention Centre (SETEC) in Gangnam, Seoul. "We hope the Korando Turismo will continue the trend."
The sales target for the new model is 10,000 in the local market and another 10,000 overseas, and the automaker now expects to see about a 20 percent growth in sales this year, meaning it will sell about 150,000 vehicles, up from 120,717 last year.
The sales of the new Korando are critical to the normalization of the company. It recently announced it will reinstate 455 workers who have been on unpaid leave for the last three years on the expectation of growing demand for its cars.
They will mostly be dispatched to the assembly line for the Turismo once they return to work on March 1.
The 11-passenger capacity vehicle was developed as the next generation of the Rodius with around 180 billion won invested in the development for two and a half years.
The Turismo has a more stylish look and the front fascia has gigantic headlamps while sharing the Korando family look.
But the firm emphasized the new model as a premium multi-leisure vehicle, which combines the styling of a sport utility vehicle, the driving comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a multi-purpose vehicle.
The Turismo, along with the firm's Korando C and Korando Sports, will target customers who want to enjoy leisure and outdoor activities with family and friends, the automaker said.
The Turismo is equipped with an electronic four-wheel drive system which allows safer and more comfortable driving even when off-road, it added.
It comes with an e-XDI200 LET engine, optimized for the traffic conditions and topography of Korea. It boasts 153 horsepower with a maximum torque of 36.7 kilogram-meter.
Prices range from 24.8 million won to 35.64 million won.
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