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KGM Actyon

Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 12:00 PM

A coupé-SUV reworking of the Torres is the ex-Ssangyong brand's first car developed under new ownership At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss the new KGM Actyon as a sleeker coupé version of the distinctive Torres SUV, which was launched last year. And there’s some truth to that: the models are close in size and share a platform, powertrain and plenty of key design elements. But bosses from KG Mobility’s UK importer insist that their newest arrival is far more significant. To understand why, you need a brief history of the car firm originally known as Dong-A Motor but best remembered in the UK as Ssangyong. Since the Korean conglomerate that gave the firm that moniker sold off a controlling stake in 1997, the brand has been variously controlled by Daewoo, SAIC and Mahindra and has always struggled from a lack of investment and consistency.The KG Group – a large Korean chaebol with significant interests in steel and chemical production – bought Ssangyong Motors in mid-2022 and promptly rebranded it as KG Mobility. That happened shortly after the Torres had been launched in South Korea – nearly two years before it reached the UK. KGM hasn’t just been renamed since then: its new owner has invested significantly in it, giving it vital resources to fully develop a new line of models.So much has changed in the two years since the Torres was first launched and, KGM says, much of that is reflected in what are claimed to be significant under-the-skin differences between that model and the new Actyon. With those changes, KGM reckons it might have a car capable of serving as a credible alternative to the Kia Sportage in the lucrative C-segment SUV market and one able to win over new customers to the brand – especially at its competitive price of £36,996.So can the Actyon live up to that billing or will a first outing on UK roads confirm that the new model is merely a Torres with a sleeker roofline?