June 2022

The ‘orthodox off-roader’ KORANDO, which was discontinued following the third generation in 2005, is revived following 18 years.

Ssangyong Motor plans to launch the KR10 (project name) with an authentic off-roader orientation, which is currently under development, in the first half of 2024 as a follow-up to the 5th generation Korando.

Ssangyong Motor has started to improve the design following making the actual car close to the design sketch released in July last year. It cannot be ruled out that it will be released in the second half of next year as the release schedule has been advanced due to the faster-than-expected development speed.

Unlike Torres, who succeeded Musso, but did not inherit the car name, and came out as a ‘completely new car’, the car name is highly likely to be ‘Korando’.

Ssangyong Motor held a ‘Design Philosophy Media Briefing’ at its headquarters (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do) on the 29th.

Torres was the main character of the event, but Ssangyong Motor introduced the KR10 (project name), which inherited the authentic Korando, as a scene stealer (luxury supporting role).

“KR10, the car name is Korando”

Lee Kang, managing director of the Design Center, who joined Ssangyong Motor in 2020 from Kia, said at this event, “The Musso and Korando, the famous cars that Koreans love, are the great legacy of Ssangyong Motor. The philosophy is ‘Powered by toughness’,” he explained.

“The Torres is a car that has to be sold a lot (for the revival of Ssangyong Motor), so the strength of the past was put forward, but people liked it and pursued a popular design without like or dislike,” said Lee. “It will be released in a way that is closer to traditional off-roaders such as the Defender,” he said.

He said, “Currently sold Korando is neutral in nature, and it is similar to Toyota Rav4 and Kia Sportage, so it has no choice but to struggle in the market.”

“Korando plans to return to the original Korando,” he added.

Separately, following the briefing session, when I asked whether the KR10 car name would inherit ‘Korando’, he emphasized, “We must go with ‘Korando’ unconditionally.” Regarding the release date, he said, “I think it will be released in the first half of 2024 rather than next year.”

A ‘half-moon eyebrow’ lamp that greets you with a smile

Ssangyong Motor revealed some of the development scenes and current status of the KR10 on the same day.

Director Lee said, “We have already completed the model, completed market research, and received positive responses.”

In the video of the front of the KR10, which was slightly released on the same day, when the ignition was turned on, only half of the round lamp flickered, not the whole.

It is reminiscent of a smiley emoticon in the form of ‘half-moon eyebrows’. A function similar to ‘Welcome Lighting’, which greets the driver with a smile, can be given.

The internal graphic of the circular lamp united with the five-slot grille can also be changed from two lines to one line.

The history of Ssangyong is the history of Korando

The orthodox Korando is a descendant of the American Jeep (Jeep) and reigned as a strong off-roader in Korea. The name of the car is widely known as the meaning of “Korean can do”.

The history of Ssangyong is the history of the Korando. Ssangyong Motor started as Ha Dong-hwan Automobile Works in January 1954. In May 1967, it entered into a business alliance with Shinjin Motors.

In April 1974, Shinjin Jeep Automobile Industries was established as a joint venture. In May of the same year, it signed a technology contract with American Motors Corporation (AMC), which owns the Jeep rights. Then, in October, various new jeep models such as hard-top, soft-top, and pickup were introduced.

Shinjin Jeep is the predecessor of Korando. It is the cornerstone of a domestic authentic off-roader. In 1977, Dong-Hwan Ha was changed to Dong-A Motors, and in 1981, Shinjin Motors was renamed to Geohwa.

In March 1983, Geohwa gave a new name to its Jeep, ‘Korando’. This is the beginning of the second-generation Korando sold until June 1996.

Korando is widely known as the meaning of ‘Koreans can do it’. In addition, it has the meaning of ‘Korean land over’ or ‘Korean land dominator’.

In December 1984, Dong-a Motors took over Geohwa, and in August 1985, the Busan plant was moved to the present-day Pyeongtaek plant. Korando was produced and exported to Japan.

In November 1986, Ssangyong Group took over the management rights of Dong-A Motors, and in March 1988, the company changed its name to Ssangyong Motors. Ssangyong Motor has developed a new Korando model such as the station wagon Korando Family.

The 3rd generation Korando appeared in July 1996 following three years of development. It has been transformed into a unique style on a Mercedes-Benz engine and has become popular as a ‘car that college students want the most’.

Korando proved its performance by winning the Argentine Pampas Rally and Mexico’s Baja Rally, which are called ‘Hell Rally’. He also won the Korean Industrial Design Award.

Suffering with Ssangyong Motor following the IMF

It was transferred to the Daewoo Group in 1998, when the Korean economy was struggling following the Asian financial crisis, but the hardship started once more following the Daewoo Group was disbanded.

Although it was taken over by China’s Shanghai Motors with difficulty, it was difficult to normalize, such as a technology leak controversy and labor-management conflict during the restructuring process.

In the end, the Korando, which recorded a cumulative sales of 360,000 units, was discontinued in September 2005, and the authentic Korando disappeared into history.

Six years later, in 2011, Ssangyong Motor released the 4th-generation Korando C, which was entrusted to design by world-renowned designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, and the 5th-generation View: Teaful Korando in 2019.

Korando enthusiasts who want an authentic hardcore SUV with off-roader tendencies consider only the first-generation model released in 1974 to the third-generation model that was discontinued in 2005 as ‘real Korando’.

The 4th and 5th generations are soft-core SUVs focused on urban models, and are judged to have hardcore SUV tendencies.

This is the reason why Korando enthusiasts enthusiastically said, “If it goes like this, it’s a masterpiece” following the KR10 design sketch showing the hardcore SUV tendency was released in July of last year.

[최기성 매경닷컴 기자]
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