Old Ssangyong Motor 2007 Large Sedan 'Chairman'
Co-developed with Benz in 1993... Now Discontinued
As the story of Kian84 gifting a used sedan 'Chairman' to actor Lee Si-eon became known, interest is growing in the discontinued 'Chairman' by KG Mobility (formerly SsangYong Motor).
On the 27th, a video titled "I bought a car for Si-eon hyung" was uploaded on Kian84's YouTube channel 'Life84'. In the video, Kian84 and Lee Si-eon went to a used car dealership complex in Suwon to look at cars. Lee Si-eon said he had a romantic longing for old cars and looked around and test drove various cars. Kian84 said, "I'll take one last look at Si-eon hyung's dream car, the 'Gak Grandeur'," adding, "I hope it's an Equus." Then the dealer said, "If you're thinking about an Equus, I recommend the Chairman," and showed Lee Si-eon a 2007 white Chairman with a single owner. A single-owner vehicle means that the original buyer of the new car has not changed ownership until selling the vehicle. The price was 3.5 million won.
Kian84 said, "Si-eon hyung has given me gifts every birthday for eight years. So I said, 'Hyung, I'll give you a big gift someday,' but I never did," adding, "Even on the show Taegyeilju (a variety show about traveling the world after being born), Si-eon hyung made seaweed soup every time I went abroad. He also gave me luxury gifts for my birthday." He then decided to gift the Chairman. Afterwards, Kian84 handed the car keys to Lee Si-eon, saying, "Drive this around and stop riding motorcycles so much." Surprised, Lee Si-eon was touched but joked, "Just give me the money," making everyone laugh.
The 'Chairman' is a flagship large sedan produced by SsangYong Motor from 1997 to 2017. In February 1993, SsangYong signed a technology partnership contract with Mercedes-Benz and invested to jointly develop the car. It is a large passenger car with a 3200cc engine displacement, and at the time, it was the longest and widest among domestic cars of the same class, gaining a reputation as a rare 'luxury sedan' in Korea.
SsangYong Motor, the predecessor of KG Mobility, went through a management crisis in 1998 and was taken over by the Daewoo Group, then changed ownership to Shanghai Automotive in China in 2004. Later, in 2011, the Indian Mahindra Group acquired SsangYong, but due to continued losses, it filed for court receivership. In 2021, Edison Motors, an electric bus manufacturer, was selected as the preferred negotiator. Subsequently, in 2022, KG Group acquired SsangYong and changed the company name.
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