GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

Make / Model Search

Future models - SsangYong - XIV-2

Geneva show: SsangYong's ‘convertible’ crossover

Sketched: The three-door SsangYong XIV-2 crossover concept will feature a retractable soft-top roof.

SsangYong to showcase open-topped XIV-2 crossover SUV concept at Geneva

14 Feb 2012

SSANGYONG has released sketches of a new ‘convertible’ crossover concept ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show early next month.

The XIV-2 – short for Exciting User Interface Vehicle 2 – is billed as a successor to the brand’s ambitious XIV-1 SUV concept from last year’s Frankfurt motor show.

While that car featured radical pillar-less suicide doors both front and rear, the XIV-2 instead has a coupe-like three-door layout with a retractable, one-touch soft-top roof.

The brand says its aim with the car was to “blend the characteristics of a robust and powerful SUV with the dynamic style of an open-top sports coupe”.

The emergence of the XIV-2 could indicate that the brand is seeking to adopt a similar two-pronged strategy in the crossover SUV market as Range Rover does with its Evoque, albeit at a substantially lower price point.

The popular Evoque – to which the SsangYong bears more than a mere passing resemblance – is produced in five-door wagon and three-door ‘coupe’ body styles.

28 center imageLeft: SsangYong XIV-1 concept from the 2011 Frankfurt show.

While nominally a concept, SsangYong’s pointed description of the car as a “strategic model for the global market” indicates it will reach production as a sub-Korando model, although it is not clear if its unusual roof design will get the green light.

Following the Frankfurt reveal of the XIV-1, the brand confirmed it would mass-produce some form of all-new crossover vehicle as part of an ambitious development program under new owner, India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.

A production five-door model along the lines of the XIV-1 would slot into the burgeoning crossover space alongside the forthcoming Ford EcoSport, Opel Mokka and Buick/Holden Encore, plus existing models like the Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Dualis.

The option of a sporty soft-top configuration would set SsangYong apart, however, with existing open-topped off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler pitched at more utilitarian buyers than the urban-chic XIV-2.

While the XIV-2 sits on the same 2600mm wheelbase as the five-door XIV-1, it is slightly longer at 4166mm (compared to 4140mm).

However, the XIV-1 is slightly wider (1830mm compared to 1820mm for the XIV-2) and taller (1590mm compared to 1566mm) than the sportier three-door XIV-2.

Details of whether the XIV’s underpinnings are derived from its own Korando compact SUV or an all-new platform are still to be revealed.

Not much else is known about the car at this stage, although the brand has confirmed it will offer fuel efficient 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines, both meeting strict new Euro 6 emissions regulations.

Read more

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram
Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here