SsangYong Motor had launched its all-new SsangYong Musso pick-up truck and e-SIV electric concept for Europe at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.

All-new Musso pick-up

As Korea's leading and only SUV and 4x4 specialist manufacturer, SsangYong is committed to refreshing its entire product portfolio, and recently completed its SUV model line-up by launching its all-new flagship model, Rexton. By replacing the Actyon Sports model with the new Musso, which means rhinoceros in Korean, the brand will be able to target international markets with renewed focus.

Built on the same architecture as the new Rexton, Musso shares its body-on-frame construction to give an extremely strong truck that delivers excellent off-road driving performance and safety from its quad-frame and four-wheel-drive system.

"We are pleased to introduce another brand-new Sport Utility Truck, the new Musso for the pick-up customers with rigidity and durability. Musso will differentiate itself from the competition with a smart safety system as well as advanced features, towing capacity and versatility. We expect to repeat the success of the new Musso which has started in Korea with long wait list since its launch in January this year." said CEO Choi.

The new Musso is powered by a 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine manufactured by SsangYong, and delivers maximum power of 181PS and torque 400Nm. It is available with either a 6-speed manual or an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission. Safety features include lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot detection to help prevent accidents.

Musso is surprisingly well equipped compared with other pick-ups, and as well as offering excellent shoulder and leg room, its seats are trimmed in Nappa leather for luxury and comfort. It also features a state-of-the-art infotainment system that includes a 9.2-inch HD screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Following its European debut at Geneva, Musso will go on sale in Europe and internationally from May.

e-SIV EV concept

The new e-SIV concept car, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, is a strategic model for SsangYong that showcases the brand's future approach to electric vehicles, connectivity and autonomous driving.

e-SIV, which stands for Electric Smart Interface Vehicle, has been developed to demonstrate SsangYong's determined approach towards creating a connected mobility solution along with autonomous driving. The company recognizes that change towards a future mobility paradigm will only result from positive consumer interest, engagement and experience, and e-SIV will be central to help shape the next-generation of SsangYong SUVs and EVs.

Through the new design concept of 'New Horizon, Smart Dynamism,' this prototype articulates the future look for SsangYong electric SUVs. e-SIV is 4,560mm long, 1,870mm wide, 1,630mm high, and has a 2,675mm wheelbase.

The e-SIV realizes the vision to 'create a car designed for busy people.' The SsangYong aspiration has been to build a car with a 'smart interface' that fuses perfectly with the very latest technology to become a mobile communication space. Through machine learning-based voice recognition, e-commerce, the internet and state-of-the-art autonomous navigation, SsangYong really will create a car for people and the future.

The autonomous driving technology applied to the e-SIV uses a radar and camera sensor system. This stage 2 self-driving technology recognizes the car and the lane it is travelling in, and can maintain a safe distance between it and other vehicles on the road. This can be further equipped with an additional sensor to increase the automatic lane and active driving function to achieve self-driving stage 3.

The connected car function applied to the e-SIV consists of three major elements, and includes charging the car's battery remotely by monitoring the progress of charging through the smart phone app based on LTE communication with the electric car specialized service.

The telematics service enables a number of functions to be remote controlled. These include turning the power on and off, car diagnostics, vehicle management, emergency driving in case of an incident and even driver safety support.

The third element is an infotainment service. This creates personalized functionality tailoring services to meet individual convenience via machine learning and cloud-based speech recognition, and works through partnerships to manage music, radio and inter-connected home control.

This new SsangYong connected car function is intended to improve both safety and convenience.