Of Ssangyong The upcoming SUV with a bold look has a name: Torres.
Named after Chile’s stunning Torres del Paine National Park (“Torres” means “tower” in Spanish), the new SUV will slot between a medium-sized Korando crossover and a large Rexton SUV.
Production of the Terrace – formerly codenamed J100 – will begin in June, and it will offer an electric powertrain.
A spokesman for Ssangyong Australia said Torres was in the company’s plans. Timing not yet confirmed.
We’ve seen Torres’s teaser before, when the back end of it was secretly spied on. The latest set of teasers gives more angles to our mid-sized SUV, however, which introduces a new design language for the brand.
Features flared fender, chunky styling, distinctive shaped light signature and a zip-like slotted grille.
Probably the most distinctive element is the tailgate, which has a large bulge that mimics the exterior extra wheel carrier of a sick SUV.
Teasers feature Terrace wearing roof-mounted driving lights, as well as chunky off-road tires. Perhaps surprisingly, a 4WD badge can be seen in Fender.
SsangYong has assured Korean media that it will be available with “various customized products suitable for leisure environment” that can “reveal the personality of the customer while being practical”.
The company said it would “explore new markets across the division”.
The overall look is more rugged than the Temar Sangyong rental like the Corando and is designed to look like your face.
It is possible, however, that this J100 will feature more car-like unibody architecture like the Corando rather than body-on-frame construction like the Rexton.
The combination of unibody platform and bluff styling, therefore, is similar to the formula employed by the choices of Ford Bronco Sport and Howell Dargo.
SsangYong’s announcement did not include any technical information about the terrace, such as dimensions or powertrain specifications.
This will not be SsangYong’s first electric SUV as the company has already released an electric version of the mid-size Corando, the Korando E-Motion.
The electric crossover uses a 61.5kWh battery and a front-mounted electric motor with 140kW of power, with a claimed WLTP limit of 339km.
It went on sale in Europe earlier this year, although it remained “under study” for Australia.
SsangYong has previously confirmed that its EV range will increase to include a related ute and has teased a rough-looking, small SUV codenamed KR10, inspired by the Korando generation before it became a unibody crossover.
Most recently, it confirmed that an electric SUV codenamed E100 will be launched in the second half of 2023.
Following an acquisition by Korean electric bus maker Edison Motors, the company is in the process of re-auctioning to find a new buyer.
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A consortium led by the steel firm KG Group from Chemicals was reportedly selected by the Seoul Bankruptcy Court last Friday as the primary bidder in this month’s auction.
SsangYong has until October 15 to find a new owner and submit a new restructuring plan to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court.
It says it aims to sign an agreement in early July and submit its plan to the court by the end of that month for approval by the end of August.
More: SsangYong could be acquired by Korean steel company – report