Ssangyong News Round-Up

FLEET, UNITZED KINGDOM – May 1, 2009: Owners of vehicles 10-or-more years old who want to take advantage of the new £2,000 scrappage incentive will be welcome at SsangYong dealerships.

The scheme, set to start in mid-May, provides £1,000 from central government and a matching £1,000 from manufacturers, towards the cost of a new Kyron, Rexton or Rodius when an old vehicle is traded in for scrap. SsangYong is working on the details of the scheme which is expected to encourage buyers to replace older vehicles with safer and less polluting new ones.

The offer applies to the Kyron and Rexton C-S light commercial vehicles as well as SsangYong passenger cars. It comes straight after the South Korean make’s move to five year or 250,000 mile warranties, making a SsangYong even better value for anyone needing to replace an old car or van.

Attractive contract hire
Selected SsangYong models are available at very attractive contract hire rates. The Rodius 270 S and Kyron EX with manual transmission are both available for £229 a month, with the Rexton 270 S at £259 over three years and 30,000 miles. In each case, the initial deposit is three monthly payments totalling £687 for the Rodius and Kyron, and £777 for the Rexton followed by 35 monthly payments.

Contract hire is a great solution for anyone wanting to avoid the financial outlay and administrative burden of vehicle ownership with easily budgeted fixed payments. The Rodius 270 S has an on-the-road price of £14,995, the Kyron EX is £19,495 and the Rexton 270 S £19,995.

Special Rodius ES offers
If you’re quick enough, SsangYong dealers have a limited number of used Rodius 270 ES auto models available at only £13,995 – that’s £4,500 less than the on-the-road new price of £18,495. And if the cash price isn’t enough to grab you, they can be had for a 50 per cent deposit and 0% finance over three years.

Each is about six months old with around 10,000 miles on the clock. They will have the warranty increased to five years from the date of first registration and will benefit from being sold under the SsangYong Approved used car scheme which aims to give buyers full confidence with some of the best benefits available – even down to fixing punctures.

Every SsangYong Approved used car goes through a comprehensive 101-point technical check and gets free MOT tests and free puncture repairs for the life of the car, providing it is serviced and MOT tested within the SsangYong network.

A full seven-seater with ample luggage space, the Rodius 270 ES uses the 2.7 litre common rail diesel engine with 165PS and massive torque. Even a vehicle this big can achieve up to 35.8mpg.

The 270 ES is equipped with ABS, remote keyless entry, speed-sensing door locks, climate control and Kenwood audio system. It is also hugely practical with multiple seat variations and useful extras such as two 12v DC power outlets. It also has reverse parking sensors, auto headlights, electric folding mirrors, privacy glass, alloy wheels, ESP and leather upholstery with the Mercedes T-Tronic transmission making life very easy.

C200 in Barcelona
The new SsangYong C200 compact urban vehicle shown in pre-production form at the recent Seoul Motor Show in South Korea, is making its European debut at the Barcelona Motor Show early in May.

The car is scheduled for production later this year and should reach the UK inside 12 months. Smaller and lighter than current SsangYong models, promising much improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions, the C200 can use diesel hybrid power or a choice of a high torque 2.0 diesel or turbocharged 1.8 litre petrol engines. Six speed auto and manual transmissions will be available as will two and four wheel drive.

Styled by Giugiaro’s ItalDesign in Italy, the C200 has a 2.65m wheelbase with an overall length of 4.4m. The car will undergo Euro NCAP crash testing before coming to market.

With a tachograph, it works for you
Any new vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of over 3.5 tonnes used for hire or reward, must be fitted with an approved and calibrated digital tachograph. Trouble is, there are many cars and light commercial vehicles that can’t be used for business towing a trailer, because they can’t be fitted with a tachograph.

Not so with SsangYong – and especially the Kyron and Rexton C-S light commercials. All they require is an upgraded transfer gearbox before a VOSA-approved tachograph is fitted – a job that can be done by any SsangYong dealer. A Siemens VDO digital tachograph head unit, speed sensor and harness can then be fitted by an approved VOSA fitting and calibration station.

The upgraded transfer box is £375 and the tacho is about £900 all excluding VAT. Then the Kyron and Rexton C-S can get to work.

OTR prices unchanged
This month sees revisions to the rates of vehicle excise duty (VED or road tax), but SsangYong is absorbing any increases, so on-the-road prices will remain unchanged with the range starting at just £14,995.