Ssangyong C200 Hybrid shows at Seoul

Ssangyong has not had the best of times lately, but it’s not dead and buried yet, and has been showing its Ssangyong C200 Hybrid at the Seoul Motor Show this week.

Ssangyongs have always been pretty dated lumps. Cheap, true, but not a great deal to recommend them beyond that. But the C200 is a different kettle of fish. For a start, it’s a lot smaller than Ssangyong’s past offerings, at just 14 feet long, and is a lot more contemporary looking than previous cars.

Designed by Giugiaro’s ItalDesign, the C200 is a funky, urban vehicle (Ssangyong are calling it a ‘Compact Urban Vehicle’, or CUV) designed to handle the rough and tumble of city driving. In fact, it’s similar in concept to the Nissan Qazana, in that it looks out of context like a big 4×4, but when you get up close it looks like it’s been on a boil-wash and shrunk!

But this is probably a sensible route to go. There is no denying that a big section of the car buying public likes the high-riding 4×4, but in these constrained times many are looking for cheaper to buy and run options. These compact urban vehicles could be a good seller.

The Hybrid Aero version of the Ssangyong C200 comes with a diesel hybrid powerplant, offering high torque 2.0 litre or Turbo 1.8. Ssangyong reckons emissions will be reduced by up to 50% with class-leading fuel economy.

Expect to see UK cars in showrooms early next year.