Mahindra is planning to launch the SsangYong Korando C in India that will be priced competitively to compete in the ever growing compact SUV segment.
The compact SUV segment is currently one of the hottest segments. For the last two years, Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport have more or less been the only two vehicles in the segment and have enjoyed their fair share of success. At a time when these two compact SUVs are due for a facelift, other manufacturers are mulling to grab a piece of the pie which seems to be increasing month after month. The compact SUV segment has played such a major role in the market that Mahindra has ended up losing its SUV market share from 55 percent down to 40 percent.
While talking about Mahindra in particular, we all are now aware that they are coming up with a compact SUV as well which goes by the codename S101. But this isn’t the only product Mahindra has up its sleeve for the segment. In an exclusive update, Mahindra is planning to launch the SsangYong Korando C this year. Mahindra bought the Korean company, SsangYong back in 2011 and one of the first products that expected to see the light of day as a result out of this takeover was the Korando C SUV.
The SsangYong Korando C, which is currently in its third-generation is also termed as a premium urban leisure vehicle or ULV instead of a compact SUV. Since its launch in 2011, the Korando C has been well received in Korea and its sales have grown steadily. With its new style and sleek interior design, the SsangYong Korando C is definitely a very capable product which will tend to dent hopes of many of its rivals by quite an extent.
The 5-seater is well equipped and comes with a big list of features that include ventilated front seats, a 7-inch touch screen multimedia system with 3D maps and navigation along with a Harman sound system, steering-mounted audio controls, ABS, EBD, six airbags (standard in the international model), cruise control, climate control, alloy wheels, fog lamps and dual chrome exhausts to name a few. It is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine in two states of tune – 149 BHP and 175 BHP, mated to 6-speed manual or automatic transmission with an option of AWD.
The Korando C will not exactly fall in the compact SUV segment and is expected to be priced around Rs. 15 lakhs (ex-showroom), even if Mahindra carries out extensive localization. Thus, the vehicle is poised to cater to the mid-segment of Indian SUV buyers and will compete with the likes of the 110 PS versions of the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano, Mahindra Scorpio, Skoda Yeti and upcoming cars from other manufacturers in the segment.
Source – TheFinancialExpress.com