Ssangyong SIV-2 concept unveiled at Geneva motor show

The SsangYong SIV-2 concept car has been unveiled at the Geneva motor show and previews a new large SUV that will sit above the Ssangyong Tivoli crossover.

It will come to market in two years time and is a development of the original SIV - which stands for Smart Interface Vehicle - concept revealed in Geneva in 2013.

The Mahindra-owned Korean brand says the SIV-2 concept is “based on SsangYong’s theme of ‘Robust, Speciality, Premium", and “pursues the emotional interface between the driver and the car, and will evolve to become a key strategic model within the SsangYong range".

The new model is expected to offer seating for five and be around the same size as Nissan's Nissan Qashqai. Bolstering its SUV range with a larger model than the current Tivoli would allow Ssangyong to capitalise on the growing appetite for SUVs in Europe and the UK.

Inside the concept car, it previews a high-end and luxurious interior with Alcantara and Italian suede linings and a woodgrain floor, as well as bucket seats fitted with speakers and lighting graphics emitted from the door panels and side consoles that change in time to music.

Powering the concept is a mild hybrid powertrain, which features a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine combined with a small electric motor, coupled to a lithium-ion battery. The 48V mild-hybrid set-up is claimed to offer “quiet and efficient driving, reduced CO2 emissions and silent running when idling and at slow speeds”.

The SIV-2 concept will feature lightweight bodywork, a low centre of gravity and “a chassis and suspension system that can be further developed to create alternative models with high-efficiency powertrains, such as HEV, PHEV and EVs to future proof the Ssangyong brand”.

This suggests that when the production version of the SIV-2 goes on sale in 2018, it will be offered with a variety of alternative powertrains as well as regular combustion engines.

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