Paris show: SsangYong plugs in

SSANGYONG will premiere a plug-in hybrid version of its XIV concept crossover at the Paris motor show on September 27.

Based on the company's sleek XIV-2 sub-compact crossover concept from the Geneva show in March this year, the e-XIV (electric eXciting user Interface Vehicle ) is a two-door micro-SUV similar in size to a range of forthcoming micro-SUVs such as the Nissan Juke.

The concept has a range-extender drivetrain – an electric motor drives the wheels, while a small petrol engine charges the batteries once they are depleted.

While the original petrol and diesel internal-combustion XIV-2 from Geneva had a retractable roof – a la the Fiat 500 – the range-extender version instead gets a glass roof with embedded solar panels.

Sketches of the concept released ahead of the car's proper unveiling show other unique design features including silver and black paint, larger wheels and a unique 'speckled' grille design.

Dimensions are almost identical to the original XIV-2, at 4160mm long, 1790mm wide, 1575mm high, and an identical 2600mm wheelbase.

Both the e-XIV and XIV-2 concepts follow on from the original five-door XIV-1 concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, which featured design similarities to the Range Rover Evoque.

From top: SsangYong e-XIV concept XIV-2 concept.

Following the Frankfurt reveal of that car, the company confirmed it would mass-produce some form of all-new crossover vehicle to sit below its Korando compact SUV as part of an ambitious development program under new owner, India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.

This program also means the company is likely to eventually step away from its all-diesel approach in markets such as Australia.

If it were to follow on from the path laid out by its concepts, it would be one of only a few companies offering both three- and five-door variants in the crossover SUV segment, joining the likes of Land Rover and Suzuki.

It is unclear at this stage if the petrol-electric XIV derivation will join its internal combustion sibling and go into production. Full details and images will emerge from Paris.