Korean automaker Ssangyong is setting its sights on getting a piece of the market share for the compact crossover vehicle market with the launching in South Korea of its small SUV called the Tivoli.
The company made the unveiling ahead of Tivoli’s scheduled international launch on the Geneva auto show this coming March.
The Tivoli, which reportedly took 42 months in development, is the first completely new model from Ssangyong since 70% of the Korean automaker was acquired by Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra in February 2011, notes Motoring Research.
The company says that it has invested over $300 million for the three-and-a-half years development of Tivoli.
Rolling to UK and European markets
Ssangyong intends to position the Tivoli on the small SUV market to directly compete with the Nissan Juke, the 2008 Peugeot, and the Renault Captur.
Many motoring experts believe that the 2015 Ssangyong Tivoli also marks the official transformation of the Korean car manufacturing company from focusing on sensible and budget car owners market into the mainstream segments.
Expected to come out with a front-wheel drive and 1.6-liter gasoline, Ssangyong will initially roll out the Tivoli in the UK and other European markets. The company will subsequently be rolling out a 1.6-liter diesel engine automatic transmission edition of Tivoli that shall run on all-wheel drive.
Other features
The 1.6-liter gasoline engine model will have a pull of 126-horsepower and shall come with a standard six-speed manual gearbox or the optional Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.
The Korean version of the Tivoli with manual transmission has fuel consumption average of 12.3 kilometers per liter or equivalent to 28.9 miles per gallon in the US, indicating the good level of fuel economy of the vehicle.
Despite being compact, the Tivoli also provides a roomy luggage space measuring 14.9 cubic feet, which would be enough to carry three full-size golf club bags, among other types of cargo.
In addition, the second row seat can also be folded fully flat if the luggage compartment seems insufficient for its carrying capacity.
The Tivoli is fitted with the standard Smart Steer electronic power steering system which offers three different steering models – Normal, Comfort, and Sport, an automatic air conditioning system, smart key entry and locking facility, as well as parking sensors.
The compact crossover SUV shall also sport the 7-inch infotainment system which should enable music and video streaming from a mobile device through an HDMI cable.
In terms of safety features, the Tivoli shall have seven airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system. Other optional features for the Tivoli include dual-zone climate control, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlights.
Ssangyong has yet to release price details for the Tivoli but experts believe that when upon its release to the UK market, it would be priced at almost $20,000 for its front-wheel drive 1.6-liter gasoline manual version model and can go up to as much as over $30,000 for its four-wheel drive 1.6 diesel automatic transmission model.