SsangYong Go Bust

[hawk20]

According to CNN news the South Korean SsangYong motor company has gone into liquidation.

Didn't they use MB engines in a four by four?

No doubt there will be others before the recession is over.

 

[blueserenity777]

yes, they do..i am from malaysia..seen a few who have swapped their ssangyong grill for a taiwan lookalike mercedes grill..if you dont MB 4 by 4's, you can easily be fooled into thinking you got a MB..

but recent designs have been really awful..KIA has better lines and so sales kinda moved..Hyundai is also pretty good nowadays for budget,reliable cars..Ssangyong just gets laughs and ridicule..wonder how the car was if looking before the surface design..

wonder who is next now..

 

[hawk20]

Since found this from Channel 4 News
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/ssangyong+applies+for+receivership/2900207
Troubled South Korean car maker Ssangyong Motor said it has applied for court receivership.
Ssangyong said in a statement that it made the "unavoidable choice" to address its liquidity crisis.
The car maker said the decision came at a meeting of its board of directors in China on Thursday where its parent company Shanghai Automotive Industry is based.

And this and more from the FT: -
SAIC Motor, China’s largest carmaker, has come under pressure to rescue Ssangyong Motor, the South Korean sport utility maker it took control of in 2004.
The South Korean government on Friday said it would not aid Ssangyong, which has idled its main production line for three weeks and delayed payment of salaries, unless SAIC put in more capital first.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ab7fbd0-d317-11dd-989e-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

 

[grober]

Sounds familiar, another far east motor manufacturer asking for government money to bail out an ailing operation when they have plenty in their own coffers? Economic blackmail anyone?

 

[kwakdonut]

Good riddance to them - their cars are bloody awful!!!!

 

[BTB 500]

IIRC M-B were shareholders in SsangYong and gave them the straight 6 diesel when they started using the V6. Not sure what the current position is though.

 

[Satch]

Best thing Ssangyong could do would be to go bust because they are simply not up to it.

Top Gear reviews are not overstating the case. They are bad cars.

Kyron: "The best of the Ssangyongs. Which is like being the best of the venereal diseases."

Rexton "Think of it as the Korean version of the Land Rover Discovery. But really, really rubbish"

Rodius "It won’t take you long to guess the Top Gear office nickname for this one. It’s apt, too"

 

[scotth_uk]

I drove a few Mussos and didn't think that they were too bad. The Kurando was and still is the ugliest car I have ever tested. I think both had the MB engines. In Australia they came with "powered by Mercedes Benz" stickers.

No one will miss them.

 

[JasM]

Just as well :

 

[fyonn]

Rodius "It won’t take you long to guess the Top Gear office nickname for this one. It’s apt, too"

I'm still working on this one...

 

[Mactech]

Just drop the 'R'....

 

[blueserenity777]

Just as well :

ah yes.i remember seeing those awhile back when going home for holidays..they model is called the "chairman"..sort of old W210 facelift lookalike at back..was marketed as way of owning a MB without paying too much for it..as before, seen many go through a mild makeover at the front to incorporate MB grill and star..amazing what the chinese can go in malaysia..even the alloys are fitted, recons..it realled pi**ed off MB owners who paid 300% tax on CBU imported MB's from germany and be seen near this fakes..

 

[VB123]

Thank god for that! I had the "pleasure" of working on the first of them in Oz in the 90's, what horrible vehicles, I could never understand how someone could test drive one of these things, and then buy it! The engines were built under licence in Korea.

 

[jeremytaylor]

Just as well :

Hands up all those who thinks this looks better than the W212?

 

[bolide]

The original "Chairman" was built on a W124 floorpan so it can't be all bad...

All those people saying good riddance should think about what it means to have domestic car manufacture. It means employment, investment and security for thousands of people

Change the location from South Korea to the West Midlands and I don't think the reaction would be quite the same

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[wemorgan]

It's sad for the employees. I have less sympathy for the chief designer and senior managers who clearly made many mistakes.

 

[grober]

At one point in 2003 they were going to imported to Europe according to Auto Express. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/41724/ssangyong_chairman_cm_600_s.html A German company was going to modify them to pass European legislation requirements. Think they all had a slightly stretched wheelbase but were essentially a W124 CHASSIS underneath.
Oops:- bolide got there first- at the right price would have been worth a look IMHO

 

[BTB 500]

At one point in 2003 they were going to imported to Europe according to Auto Express.

I seem to remember Mercedes threatened to stop supplying them with engines if they did. Surely not 'competition' though??

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Their cars have typically been aesthetically challenged, but I think it's sad to see these events unfold.

I've never been in one, but the Rexton is popular amongst caravanners, as it makes a genuinely good tow car apparently.

I'm not a fan of anything Project Kahn-ified, but I think they actually made a good job of the Rexton:

More: http://www.carpages.co.uk/ssangyong/ssangyong-rexton-04-11-08.asp

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Almost forgot...

Interestingly, Ken Greenley from the Royal College of Art in London designed several Ssangyong models, including the Musso. Possibly the most challenging until he penned the Rodius. Made a better job of the Bentley Continental R, Bentley Azure and the Aston Martin Virage though.

So well respected he's been one of the Goodwood Style et Luxe judges, along with people like Peter Stevens, Gordon Murray, Adrian Newey, Patrick Le Quement, and the ultimate authority of stylish design: Jeremy Clarkson!!