Compact SUV’s now are the lifeline of a few companies, Renault is surviving in the Indian market only because of the sales of the Renault Duster, other Renault cars like the Koleos, the Fluence, the Scala etc. do not sell very well. On the other hand, Ford India too owes its success in recent times to the Ecosport which is currently the best selling Ford car in India, so it is by now clear to all the car manufacturers out there that, the best way to get the sales going is, by introducing a compact SUV in their product portfolio.
Korean Automobile manufacturer Ssangyong too has realized this and have been planning to introduce a compact SUV, and this compact SUV was recently showcased at the Paris motor show. The compact SUV, codenamed X100 had been under development for a long time before its debut at the Paris motor show, where a concept was displayed. Almost always, the design characteristics of the concept version does not make it to the production version and the production versions turn out to be a little less stylish, and the same seems to be the case with the Ssangyong X100.
Even though the company has not revealed the production version officially, the actual sketches of the production ready car were leaked even before the concept was revealed at the Paris motor show. The sketches reveal the new design language that Ssangyong will be using on all of their cars from now on, beginning with the X100. The Ssangyong X100 compact SUV features swept back headlamps with symmetrical fog lamps housed neatly in the new bumper design.
From the side profile, the SUV looks reasonably modern with bulky rear wheel arches to give it a more muscular look and the top half of the side profile looks very similar to that of the Range Rover Evoque. The concept displayed at the Paris motor show measured 4,195 mm in length and had a wheelbase of 2,600 mm.
The powerplant for the X100 compact SUV will be an all new 1.6-litre petrol unit developed by Ssangyong and will be compatible with Euro 6 emissions norms. This SUV will be aimed at the young buyers on the lookout for a compact SUV and in all probability will be launched just after the first half of 2015.
To read more on Ssangyong India, Click here
Also see – SsangYong working with Mahindra on a Compact SUV, launch by 2015
5+1 seating arrangement for the new Mahindra SsangYong S101 Mini-SUV
Leaked Images from Auto Ifeng
