KGM SsangYong electric ute: Ford Maverick alternative on Australian radar, 2025 Actyon SUV confirmed
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An electric 'lifestyle' four-door ute from KGM SsangYong – based on the Torres EVX SUV – is likely for Australian showrooms in the absence of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Australia could soon have its first taste of a modern car-derived 'lifestyle' ute in the absence of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz pick-ups available overseas.
South Korea's KGM SsangYong has previously confirmed it will introduce an electric dual-cab ute based on the Torres EVX electric SUV, previewed by the 'O100' concept unveiled in April 2023 – and it’s on the radar for Australia.
A medium-sized ute "for urban drivers", the production version of the O100 concept could be called 'Torres EVT' – as badges on the show car’s tailgate indicate – and is expected to launch in the United Kingdom in 2025.
MORE: SsangYong electric ute confirmed for next year with BYD batteries
An Australian launch is likely to follow, with a KGM SsangYong Australia spokesperson telling Drive, "Everything KGM is under consideration," including confirmation the O100 ute remains on its radar.
"[The] O100 is on our radar, but no timing just yet," said the spokesperson.
It follows a similar formula to the petrol-powered Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – based on the same platform as the Ford Escape and Hyundai Tucson, respectively – but the KGM SsangYong ute will be electric-only, twinned with its Torres EVX mid-size SUV.
These vehicles slot below conventional utes such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, which are based on a ladder-frame chassis with more off-road and towing capabilities.
The Maverick and Santa Cruz have been ruled out for Australia due to left-hand-drive-only production mainly for the US – despite the Ranger being Australia's best-selling new vehicle, and the overall ute segment accounting for 20 per cent of the new-car market year-to-date.
Mid-size SUVs on which the Maverick, Santa Cruz and KGM SsangYong's ute are based are the most popular vehicle type in Australia, with about 233,000 sales reported since the start of this year out of a market of more than 1 million, for a market share of close to 25 per cent.
As previously reported by Drive, the ‘Torres EVT’ ute – and the EVX SUV – will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack sourced from Chinese electric-car specialist BYD, with the EVX delivering a 462km claimed driving range under the European WLTP lab-test standard.
KGM SsangYong said it intends to add vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to the Torres EVT "to help future owners power their tools on the work site, or their cooler on the beach".
The Torres EVX SUV has a 73.4kWh battery capacity, with a front-mounted 152kW/339Nm electric motor.
MORE: SsangYong electric ute confirmed for next year with BYD batteries
It is unclear if dual-motor versions of the Torres EVT and Torres EVX are planned for all-wheel-drive capability.
The 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres EVXSUV is still being finalised for Australia, the spokesperson said, with a launch in the first half of 2025 likely.
Another KGM SsangYong vehicle due to launch in Australia is the 2025 Actyon, with local showroom arrivals scheduled for the first half of next year.
MORE: New 2025 KGM SsangYong Actyon revealed
Revealed in July 2024, the 2025 KGM SsangYong Actyon revives a nameplate used in the 2000s and 2010s, and is a coupe-styled derivative of the petrol Torres.
It uses the same 120kW and 280Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the Torres, with a six-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel drive.
KGM UK says it expects to introduce production versions of the earlier KR10 and F100 concepts – unveiled alongside the O100 concept – sometime in 2025, but the KGM SsangYong Australia spokesperson said both vehicles are "still in concept phase" with no news to share.
KGM SsangYong rebranded to its updated name in Australia from 1 October 2024 with its existing Korando, Rexton and Musso line-up, along with the new Torres.
The SsangYong name has been abolished in other markets – including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and its South Korean domestic market – in favour of KGM, but it will continue in Australia as 'KGM SsangYong' to transfer any cachet the old name has developed since the late 1990s.
SsangYong was acquired by parent company KG Group in August 2022 after it declared bankruptcy in December 2020 under previous owner Mahindra.
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