SsangYong plans leaked: Five electric vehicles by 2025

Troubled carmaker SsangYong is forging ahead with plans to offer five fully-electric models within the next four years.

The brand revealed its ambitious future during a meeting with its parts suppliers recently, with the details of the company’s plans leaking to newspaper The Korea Herald.

An electric version of the Korando has already been revealed, with a European launch slated for October. It’s understood the model is under consideration by SsangYong Australia.

Sketches of an all-new electric SUV – codenamed ‘J100’ – were first shown by the brand in June, and a prototype for the new model has already been spied testing on public roads. A smaller SUV was also shared at the time, likely to help attract a new owner.

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A sixth battery-powered offering is expected to arrive by 2026, with the Korean firm aiming for half of its sales to be made up of electrified cars by that time, a spokesperson told local press recently.

Despite filing documents with the Seoul Bankruptcy Court in late December 2020, SsangYong has agreed to sell the site of its 42-year-old Pyeongtaek factory back to the city – promising to build an electric vehicle manufacturing facility at a new location.

“Relocation of SsangYong Motor's Pyeongtaek plant and building a dedicated factory for eco-friendly vehicles is part of the carmaker's mid and long-term plan to boost competitiveness," court-appointed SsangYong administrator Chung Yong-won said in a statement in July.

Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra is selling its 75 per cent stake in SsangYong via a tender, with Korean media reporting 11 interested parties having already submitted letters of intent to participate in the process.