SsangYong Motor Company, the wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Limited, opened the bookings of the fawned upon Korando Sports Pick Up Truck in the auto market of UK. The company has priced the Utility Vehicle (UV) within a price bracket close to £ 18,000 to £ 21,000.
The Korando Sports Pick Up carries with itself SsangYong's pedigree of producing some of the most competent off-road vehicles and accordingly, the new UV boasts of a towing capability of a haul more than 2.3 tons. According to the company, Korando Pick Up Truck will cater to the requirements of general public who require a strong and sturdy vehicle for the entire family along with the convenience of an All Wheel Drive (AWD).
Informing about the concept behind the new Pick Up Truck and highlighting its merits Paul Williams, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SsangYong Motor UK, said, “This is more a passenger car with pick-up versatility. Consequently, it offers refinements that few of our competitors can match. SsangYong has a growing reputation for building extremely competent off-road vehicles, and the new Korando Sports draws on this pedigree. It’s an honest, reliable and highly capable vehicle yet extremely well equipped, and pound for pound will outclass many more expensive rivals.”
Earlier this year, expressing his views on the Korando Sports Pick Up Truck, Steve Gray, Marketing and Communications, Director, SsangYong Motor UK said, “To be able to launch an all-new model into the UK so soon after the Korando crossover is great news for us as the importer and our rapidly expanding dealer network, but more importantly for the growing number of motorists who increasingly appreciate the value of the SsangYong brand. The price of the new pick-up will be announced at its launch in October, and as you would expect from SsangYong, it will be extremely competitive.”
The South Korean auto maker holds the UK market to be extremely important for its global sales and will offer the new Korando Pick Up Truck in two models EX and SX. The base model is Korando SX and comes trimmed with a remote locking system, tinted glasses, Heavy Ventilated Air Conditioning (HVAC) System and numerous other enticing additions. The premium top-end model is the Korando EX in which SsangYong has installed state-of-the-art leather upholstered seats along with an array of features conforming to a world class premium UV.
The SsangYong Korando Sports Pick Up Truck incorporates a 2.0 litre Turbo charged diesel motor, which rolls out an impressive power around 150 bhp and a peak torque delivery close to 370 Nm between 1400 and 2900 Nm. The Korando's respectable power-mill is reported to come assimilated with a cruise control enabled six speed automatic transmission system in the top-end EX variant, while the same motor will come fitted with a manual transmission gearbox in the base SX model. Reportedly, the 2.0 litre diesel powerplant of the Korando could run 16 kilometres on a single litre of fuel and thus, the fuel efficiency further makes the SsangYong product more attractive to the car enthusiasts.
Mahindra-SsangYong are set to entice the Indian audience with the Rexton Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) launch on October 17, 2012 in the country's passenger car market. However, the domestic enthusiasts will keeping their fingers crossed, as they hope for the Indo-Korean alliance to bring the fawned upon Korando range at the Indian shores.
