SsangYong unveils SIV-2 concept 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 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 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.

Tivoli XLV also revealed
SsangYong also revealed the Tivoli XLV – a longer, more spacious version of the standard Tivoli crossover. Based on the XLV Air concept first revealed at the Frankfurt

motor show in September last year, the Tivoli XLV will go on sale across Europe in May.

The production model keeps the same 2600mm wheelbase as the standard Tivoli, but is stretched by 235mm from the C-pillar back, providing more storage space and room inside. In total, carrying capacity has increased to 720 litres with its rear seats in place - well up from the 423 litres offered by the standard car.

Powertrain options include the same 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines already offered in the Tivoli, coupled to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, but the manufacturer says final UK engine options are “to be determined”. It’s available in both two- and four-wheel drive forms.

Ssangyong says the Tivoli XLV “provides the versatility needed to meet a wide range of individual lifestyles”, and anticipates that with the introduction of this new Tivoli variant more than 100,000 units of the crossover will be sold in 2016.

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