Ford-badged SsangYongs set for NZ?
The alliance between Ford and Mahindra deepens, with SsangYong now playing a part. Richard Bosselman reports.
The potential for badgeengineered vehicles filling gaps in Ford’s local lineup has arisen with a recently initiated alliance between India’s Mahindra and Ford now expanding to include the Korean marque SsangYong.
Already a subsidiary of Mahindra and catering to South Korean and global markets from factories in its home country, SsangYong Motor will be revitalised under the recently announced arrangement.
The agreement will see products designed and developed in India by Mahindra and South Korea by SsangYong to be rebadged as Fords. In a statement, the brands said this would be ‘‘for numerous export markets’’.
A South Korean news agency has reported Ford senior management are set to soon visit Korea to discuss the execution of this plan. More information is expected to be released at February’s Dehli motor show.
New Zealand is not specially mentioned yet thought about the programme’s potential has been raised within the local industry.
Specific conjecture has been that the current G4 generation of the Rexton large SUV might serve as a replacement for the Territory.
Also, the Rhino could fulfil Ford ambition to have a cheaper onetonne ute to place below the Ranger, whose next generation, already under development in Australia and due within two years, will be a joint effort between Ford and Volkswagen.
Ford New Zealand, which has been selling an India-sourced car, the Fiesta-based EcoSport, for some years, has acted swiftly to dampen thought about anything more coming here from this new programme.
‘‘Any rumours of rebranded vehicles coming to New Zealand is just speculation,’’ said spokesman Tom Clancy.
‘‘The agreement to create a joint venture was to develop, market and distribute Ford brand vehicles in India, as well as Ford brand and Mahindra brand vehicles in emerging markets.
‘‘New Zealand is not an emerging market.’’
Nonetheless, the specific Mahindra-Ford JV is also set to develop two models, the first a medium-sized SUV. This is being developed by Mahindra and will be sold separately by both brands, with unique styling and driving dynamics for each of the cars. This will be followed by a compact SUV that Ford will develop in India, but with the same export potential as its EcoSport.
Ford seems keen on enhancing India as a production base. It has created a new International Markets Group which became operational from January 1. The product portfolio is expected to cater to more than 100 global markets, with more than 18 million units.
The latest move is seen as a lifeline for SsangYong, which has been struggling in recent years, with export markets accounting for just 7 per cent of last year’s volume.
Mahindra already has SsangYong models in its own family. A version of Rexton is sold in India as the Alturas G4. The XUV300 medium SUV, meantime, is derived from the SsangYong Tivoli.
Andrew Bayliss, general manager of SsangYong’s national distributor, Great Lakes Motor Distributors, said he could not provide comment about any implications of the latest activity.
‘‘We literally have no information about all this.’’