Ssanyong Automotive

[SkyActivG]

I am reading the AM Yahoo news and came across an odball Korean auto manufacturer. I have never heard of Ssanyong. From what I have read this auto maker makes nothing but junk automobiles. Has Ssanyong ever made it to the US market? Pronunciation is Sang Yong... What a name!

Ssanyong

Ssanyong 2

 

[pbm]

When Hyundai first started out they used Mitsubishi technology.
Kia used Mazda technology in it's early days and Daewoo used Opel technology. I'm pretty certain that I once read the Ssanyong used MB technology.

I would imagine they will eventually make very good vehicles just like the other Koreans.

 

[Olas]

They're as good as Hyundai and Kia.
SsangYong have been on sale in the UK over 10 years, although they rebranded after the initial launch wherer they called themselves KorAnDo (abbreviated from Korean Can Do).
After about a year of mediocre sales as KorAnDo they used the name SsangYong and have been in the UK market ever since.

Not the fastest, or the strongest, or the prettiest, but affordable and reliable and fairly well put together.

 

[Timothy Ferguson]

I lived in Seoul, Korea for over 11 years ending in 2000. My parents are in the military. They were a very big staple over there. But hey I was in the country of origin. They are very popular over there and with a price tag of no more than the average hyundai or KIA. Which those two brands are the same anyway. They made some pretty powerful small diesel suvs at the time I lived in Korea. They had a version of the sportage that was out in the 90's with the tire on the back but in diesel. They have never sold anything in the USA but I not familiar with rebranding as Chevy is known for most of the cars being Daewoo's. The aveo, cruze, and sonics are all Daewoo's.

 

[Trav]

I first saw the Musso for sale in Germany in about 1993. It was decent with a very good drive train.
From what I read the company has not done well since 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SsangYong_Motor_Company

 

[Andy636]

Butt ugly cars. We got a couple of them here. From what I remember Ssanyong it's what was left after Daewoo kick the bucket in 99-01.

The first Daewoo SUV where called Korando and Musso and the Korando beeing the bigger version they had diesel version from an older generation MB engines but all models from then till now share one thing- they where all ugly as sin.

 

[pbm]

I checked out Ssanyong on Wikipedia and they did use Daimler-Benz (I said Mercedes Benz earlier) technology.

The company has changed hands a lot recently and Chinese owned SAIC has been charged with stealing technology from them...The Chinese really don't seem to care about patents and such...