X-tra Large Value

Ssangyong tacks on a bit of extra space onto its Tivoli SUV, and comes up with the Tivoli XLV.

- Ben Chia

Ssangyong is a brand that is perhaps not all that familiar to local car buyers. If you’ve heard of them, it is probably due to the Musso double cab pick-ups that were once popular with small business owners, or the Stavic large MPV that one particular taxi company here used as a maxi-cab. Aside from that though, the Korean carmaker hasn’t really made much of an impression in Singapore’s automotive scene.

In terms of passenger cars especially, Ssangyong is almost a non-entity here. But of late, the company is looking to change that scenario. And given Ssangyong’s expertise in SUVs, it’s no surprise that it is going down that route in order to gain a foothold in the market, by introducing a number of such vehicles to capitalise on the burgeoning crossover segment.

Small compact SUVs especially seem to be gaining popularity among buyers, notably those seeking a practical lifestyle vehicle that is affordable to purchase and run. The success of the likes of Nissan’s Qashqai and Honda’s Vezel is proof testament to the new world order that is shaking things up in the automotive world, and as such, it appears that any car brand with mainstream intentions should have one of these vehicles in their line-up in order to win a new generation of drivers over.