Special Features

SsangYong is the newest brand to re-enter the Philippine market after a long absence. And while people of a certain age will remember their line-up in the early 2000's such as the Musso and Rexton, the brand has come a long way.

Proving that Korea's fourth-biggest carmaker has what it takes to take on the "big boys", we recently went to Korea to dive deep into the world of SsangYong.

Landing at the high-tech and sprawling Incheon Airport, it's immediately obvious that Korea takes pride in the high-tech. From there, the huge expand of roads is juxtaposed with traditional architecture - an indication that Koreans are extremely proud of their culture while also looking into the future.

This is the same feeling we got as we toured SsangYong's Pyeongtaek Plant. Measuring a total of 86 hectares, it's home to the brand's cutting-edge assembly lines. Complying with global standards, the plant produces over 250,000 units annually - mainly the Tivoli and Korando.

Aside from being home to SsangYong's assembly, the Pyeongtaek Plant serves as the brand's design center.

With eyes focused on becoming the most innovative and respected Korean automotive company, SsangYong understands that a strong development philosophy is paramount to achieving this goal. And they are doing so with the Robust, Specialty, Premium or RSP philosophy.

Understanding that the company doesn't have the same economies of scale as its other competitors, SsangYong has committed itself to a specialized line of products. Again, leveraging their history, they've focused on rugged body-on-frame SUVs and high-riding crossovers.

Hand-in-hand with their specialist nature, SsangYong is now pushing for a more premium feel.

SsangYong is embracing its Korean heritage instead of simply looking to the West for design. This is found in the company's "Nature Born 3-Motion" language. This three-pronged design language first debuted on the Tivoli and will be found in all SsangYong models moving forward. Using Korea as their main source of inspiration, they have identified three key words: dignified, dynamic, and rhythmical.

We were even given the chance to shakedown the different SsangYong models on the company's test track before calling it a day.

The following morning, it's time to hit the road and travel to Korea's second biggest city, the coastal city of Busan - home to SsangYong's engine assembly plant.

Traveling at speeds up to 120 km/h, the five-hour drive from Seoul to Busan is effortless, comfortable, and shows the capability of the different SsangYong models. Whether it's the Tivoli, Tivoli XLV, Rodius, or Korando, it traveled with steadfast pace.

The group even stopped over at a Korean Folk Village to take breathtaking photos of the cutting-edge vehicles from SsangYong.

Forty kilometers from Busan City itself is the SsangYong Changwon Engine Plant. Sitting atop a 11.7 hectare property, there are actually two plants inside.

The first, Plant 1 started operation in 1994 and is responsible for producing the larger diesel and gasoline engines while Plant 2 came online 11 years later producing the next-generation mid-sized diesel engines. Another line was added in Plant 2 in 2014 to serve the requirements of the Tivoli for both diesel and gasoline applications. Apart from engines, the plant also assembles core driving units of its four-wheel drive system such as the rear axle.

SsangYong relies on a flexible assembly line to keep costs as reasonable as possible. In order to achieve good economies of scale, the assembly line must be able to produce a wide array of engines. Currently, five different gasoline and six different diesel engines are produced there. An interesting note is that the fully-automated Plant 2 is highly flexible, allowing five different engine configurations to be built there side-by-side. The same can be said with the Tivoli line where both diesel and gasoline engines are assembled together.

Whether it's in design, engineering, or assembly, it's clear that SsangYong has got what it takes to finally stand up on its own as a force to be reckoned with in the automotive industry.