Carmaker aims to reinvent itself in NZ
It is all change for one of the New Zealand motoring landscape’s most overlooked marques, with the carmaker this week detailing how it plans to rise up and become a national contender thanks in part to new owners and new distributors.
The SsangYong name, long associated with rugged off-roaders over its almost three-decade tenure on the market, is no more.
In its place is a new name; KGM, the net result of SsangYong’s new overseas owners KG Group. Simultaneously, the brand has new local distributors in the form of Inchcape New Zealand, with KGM joining LDV and Subaru as brands housed in its stable.
KGM New Zealand has unveiled the brand’s first two new models to market in the form of a pair of mid-size SUVs; the KGM Torres petrol and fully electric KGM Torres EVX. Pricing for the duo was also confirmed, with the petrol priced from $49,990 in two-wheel drive form and $54,990 with all-wheel drive.
The EVX, meanwhile, is priced from $67,990 — almost equalling the price of the most popular new EV in the country, the $67,900 Tesla Model Y (neither price includes on-roads). The first 40 Torres EVXs will actually be a little cheaper than the Model Y equivalent, thanks to a $66,990 introductory price.
The petrol-fed Torres comes equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-litre producing 120kW/280Nm. The front-wheel drive EVX is motivated by a 150kW/339Nm electric motor paired to a proven 73.4kWh (usable) Blade battery pack sourced from BYD. It boasts a range of 462km on the WLTP cycle and, like a BYD, the EVX benefits from vehicle-toload (V2L) functionality.
First EVX models are already at dealerships around the country, while the petrol Torres is set to arrive officially next month. Stuff drove the Torres EVX for the first time at the brand’s launch in Auckland City.
The new branding and new name signal something of a relaunch for the SsangYong/KGM marque. The brand has long struggled to make headway in New Zealand, selling just 517 vehicles last year — a figure that pales in comparison to the output of other “challenger” brands such as MG (6105 units), BYD (3715 units), and Haval (1888 units).
KGM New Zealand head of brand marketing Daile Stephens acknowledged the steep climb that the brand faces, having already spent six months developing the effective relaunch.
“We have a unique opportunity to start fresh [...] Our core consumer challenge is: how do we rapidly build KGM brand equity and create new customers by positioning KGM as a distinctive Korean automotive brand,” Stephens says.
“At SsangYong, our brand equity is not strong ... We know SsangYong does not overindex in any particular attributes, [but] it doesn’t underindex in any particular attributes. It’s actually a really clean slate. So we have a great opportunity to start a new branding chapter.
“We don’t have the same deep pockets as what our competitors do with huge market share, [so] we need to show up in different ways to get cut through.
“We want to be the most disruptive car brand on the streets of NZ, which means that our enemy is the expected. We can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect the same result.”