"Torres to Continue Ssangyong Motor's Toughness Through KR10"

Design Briefing Reveals Vision and Philosophy
Accelerating Business Normalization Under New Ownership

Lee Kang, Executive Director of Ssangyong Motor Design Center, is explaining the design philosophy of the new car 'Torres' at the 'Design Vision and Philosophy Media Briefing' held on the 29th at the Ssangyong Motor Design Center in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Ssangyong Motor

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] SsangYong Motor is embarking on a full-fledged journey toward business normalization as KG Group has been confirmed as its new owner. At the start of this journey is the recently launched new sports utility vehicle (SUV), the 'Torres.' Torres recorded the highest pre-order performance with its authentic SUV design. SsangYong plans to continue the traditional SUV design starting with Torres.

According to SsangYong on the 30th, Lee Kang, Executive Director of SsangYong Motor Design Center, stated at the 'Design Vision and Philosophy Media Briefing' held yesterday at the SsangYong Motor Design Center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, "Future vehicles will continue to embody toughness and modernity under SsangYong’s banner of ‘Powered by Toughness.’"

The name Torres is derived from SsangYong’s legendary SUV Musso’s successor and the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, a popular travel destination in South America. The exterior design of Torres unveiled that day boasted the characteristics of a traditional SUV. The front features a short, repetitive vertical lattice-type radiator grille and an integrated skid plate bumper, creating a strong image. The clean-type LED headlamps with outer lenses connected to the radiator grille emphasized the SUV’s presence. However, the interior adopted a design that conveys comfort, contrasting with the rugged exterior.

Executive Director Lee explained, "SsangYong’s design is based on four sculptural identities: structural toughness, unexpected delight, strong contrast, and harmony with nature. Torres is a vehicle that embodies these principles."

The market response to the Torres design has been positive. According to industry sources, pre-orders for Torres are estimated to have exceeded 24,000 units. On the first day of pre-orders on the 13th, Torres surpassed 12,000 units, marking the first time in SsangYong’s history that pre-orders exceeded 10,000 units. Such results are typically seen only in popular models from Hyundai and Kia in South Korea. For example, Kia’s Sportage recorded 16,078 pre-orders on its first day last year.

At the briefing, the ‘KR10,’ the anticipated successor to the Korando, was also introduced. KR10 inherits the heritage of the Korando, a symbol of toughness. It is characterized by carrying forward the design of the first to third generations of Korando. A clay model has already been created and feedback is underway; the clay model and sketches clearly resemble the third generation (1996?2005), making it recognizable as the successor representing the SsangYong brand.

Executive Director Lee said, "Starting with Torres, we stand at the starting line to show the future direction of SsangYong through the J100 and KR10. We plan to continue developing and inheriting the brand that customers desire based on the future-oriented design of authentic SUVs."