SEOUL - Korean automaker SsangYong will launch a small SUV in Europe next autumn that will compete against the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.

The Actyon goes on sale in Korea next year and is expected to debut in Europe at the Paris auto show next September. It will arrive in European showrooms in early 2007.

SsangYong says the name Actyon combines "action" and "young." In its advertising, the automaker will target 20- to 30-year-olds.

The company expects to sell 30,000 Actyons a year in Europe, although that could change, based on the market situation, SsangYong spokesman Mingo Park said. "It's an entry-level SUV, so the price can be very competitive," Park explained.

The Actyon joins the Kyron small SUV, which goes on sale in Europe in late November, said Toni Newton, a spokesperson at SYUK, SsangYong's UK importer.

SsangYong's European lineup currently includes the Rexton large SUV, the Rodius large minivan, the Korando small SUV and the Musso medium SUV.

The Actyon will be available with a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter common-rail diesel engine that includes a particulate filter.

SsangYong has been making significant gains in Europe this year. In western Europe SsangYong's sales have nearly tripled. The automaker sold 17,155 units in the first nine months, up from 6,282 in the same period last year, according to JATO Dynamics.

In Korea, SsangYong hopes to sell 3,000 Actyons a month. It designed the Actyon, code-named C100, to compete against the Sportage and Tucson in Korea's rapidly growing small SUV market.

- Source from Automotive News Europe (Oct 31, 2005) -