Switchover to new identity kicks off with new SUV but also means badge changes for NZ-familiar fare from get-go.

IMMINENT rebranding of SsangYong to KGM is more than just a change of dealership hoarding - the transition has also timed so familiar products will show with new badging.

A brand renaming exercise also introducing a new distributor kicks off  with the release of a medium sports utility, the Torres in a fortnight and will continue through the month.

The fresh nameplate is set to be marketed in petrol and electric formats as the first vehicle to be produced under KGM, regardless it announced during the SsangYong era, which ended in bankruptcy. 

KG Mobility then came to the rescue, saving SsangYong from liquidation in 2022 and subsequently rebirthing the products.

Torres (below) will join the Tivoli, Korando and Rexton sports utilities and Musso/Rhino utility that were also SsangYong-engineered and produced but set to from now on be KGMs.

That identity change will occur with almost immediate effect, intent being that newly rebranded dealerships will whenever possible have newly rebranded product. 

Very few SsangYong-branded examples of those vehicles are still in stock, KGM New Zealand head of brand marketing, Daile Stephens offered today.

She said all future examples are shipping into with the new identity to ensure as much of a clean slate start as is possible.

In addition to swapping written brand names the transition also brings a new logo, the SsangYong snakes being supplanted by a winged motif that is highly similarly in overall look but different in detail.

While a lot of change will effect from the Torres release, much more will follow over the next few months.

“We’re not giving way too much information at this stage, apart from the fact that we are rebranding and the Torres is coming.

“The current model lineup with continue, rebadged. As new shipments arrive, they will be KGMs.

“It is a transition, we cannot just flick a switch and everything changes overnight. This is the start of a journey and over the next few months we will see that.”

Effort to clear SsangYong stock had been going on for several months, and she believed few cars landed under that branding remain unsold. 

“We are in a strong position to be able to start with a clean slate.”

Internationally the marque sees itself on an upward trajectory and that’s also the aim for the new distributor, Inchcape Group, the giant United Kingdom-listed vehicle distributor and retailer, best known here for having Subaru New Zealand, where Stephens also has a role.

It last year took over national distribution of SsangYong and LDV, a division of China’s SAIC, from those makes’ mutual original rights’ holder.

Stephens says transition to KGM marks another significant step for the South Korean manufacturer and is a welcome opportunity to completely rebrand and create a step change to make a real impact nationally.

“We are thrilled to have the chance to start afresh with KGM and will be investing significantly in the brand. 

“We have a lot of faith in the KGM product, which comes with a solid engineering base and produces well-specced, reliable vehicles.”

Intent is to transform KGM into “a brand for the future and continue to grow as a proud and respected SUV and ute brand.

“Our aim is to elevate the offering of innovative KGM products with a refreshed brand identity, breaking away from the ordinary,” Stephens says.

“Renaming as KGM signifies a refresh of the brand vision, with a focus on pioneering the next generation of mobility solutions and incorporating cutting-edge technologies.”

New Zealand appears to be just the second right-hand drive market to undergo the KGM implementation, following from the United Kingdom, which undertook the process in January. The dealership image used today is of a UK premises.

KGM’s big effort now is with electric product, initially with Torres and then with new models coming as result of an agreement with China’s BYD.

The maker of the Kiwi-favoured Atto 3 and other passenger products will provide battery-dedicated platforms on which a triumvirate of other KGM BEVs will base. 

The O100 pick-up and the KR10 and F100 SUVs are being fast-tracked for launch in South Korea in the second half of this year.

The tray deck is expected to be a version of the BYD utility, which is coming out this year. BYD here has promised to have it at the national field days at Mystery Creek, in mid-June. The same event at which the previous SsangYong distributor hoped to have a Torres, with SsangYong badging, last year. That never happened.

KGM has assured its main focus will continue to be on sport utility vehicles and crossovers. A new national website, kgm.co.nz, is now active.