New Ssangyong Korando Light Commercial Vehicle gives decent looks & at a really cheap price.

• Light commercial Korando from just £12,995 on the road ex VAT
• Torque on demand 4-wheel drive available (CSX)
• 2 tonne towing capability
• 1,312 cubic litre load volume
• 433 kg payload
• Powerful 2.0 litre turbo diesel engine producing 360Nm of torque
• The only 4x4 van with a 5 year limitless mileage warranty

SsangYong is adding two new low priced light commercial models to its Korando range - the 2-wheel drive CS and 4-wheel drive CSX.

SsangYong Korando CSX 4x4 Commercial

Ideal as a small delivery van, go-anywhere vehicle for service engineers or simply a light commercial to ensure you reach your destination whatever the weather or terrain, the Korando Commercial makes the perfect business partner.

And with prices from just £12,995 (ex VAT) for the two wheel drive CS model and a 5 year limitless mileage warranty, it is also a sound business decision.

SsangYong Korando CSX commercial

The Giugiaro designed Korando is already noted for its great value, high level of equipment, interior space and 2 tonne towing capability - the Korando SE won The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Award 2014 for vehicles under £16,000 - and now its commercial derivative, the Commercial van, has also been given a makeover inside and out, as well as enhanced driving refinement.

Externally, the front receives an all-new treatment that includes a slimmed down, black mesh radiator grille, contemporary projection headlights and LED daytime running lights, while the interior has also been given a significant re-design that includes a completely new dashboard.  Great advances in reducing NVH (noise, vibration & harshness) have also been made.

The new Korando Commercial is powered by a modern yet well-proven 2.0-litre Euro 5 turbo diesel engine.  

There is a choice of two wheel drive or 4x4, with prices from just £12,995 (ex VAT) for the two wheel drive CS and £14,295 (ex VAT) for the four wheel drive CSX.

The completely flat load area is accessed via a high lifting tailgate or two side doors, and packs a useful 1,312 cubic litre load volume.  There’s a load deck length of 152.5cm, and 96.5cm between the wheel arches.  The car also carries a very practical 433 kg payload, and willingly pulls a 2 tonne trailer.

Under the bonnet, the Korando CS is powered by a new lower CO₂ version of the Korando power unit.  Developing 149ps@4,000rpm, this advanced 2.0 litre four cylinder turbo diesel engine produces 360Nm of torque with CO₂ emissions reduced to 147g/km (CS) and 157g/km (CSX).

And for when the weather turns nasty and the going gets tough, the new CSX features an impressive Torque on Demand 4x4 system and is equipped with ESP with Hill Start Assist, and mud & snow tyres as standard.

The low price doesn’t mean basic though, and drivers will enjoy the luxury touches of electric windows and tinted glass as well as a leather covered steering wheel and gear shift, cruise control and an MP3 CD & RDS radio with iPod & Bluetooth connectivity, remote audio controls and six speakers. 

“The new Korando is the third light commercial vehicle (LCV) to join the SsangYong line-up, and offers a highly practical and affordable vehicle for those with specific business needs,” said Paul Williams, CEO of SsangYong Motor UK.  “Highly competitively priced, extremely well equipped and backed by a 5 year limitless mileage warranty, SsangYong is the only manufacturer to have that much confidence in its commercial vehicles to give its customers this level of reassurance.

“SsangYong has a growing reputation for producing extremely competent off-road vehicles, and the new Korando Commercial builds on this pedigree.  It’s an honest, reliable and highly capable LCV, and pound for pound will outclass many more expensive rivals.”

Torque on Demand 4x4

The Korando CSX features a Torque on Demand four wheel drive system which constantly monitors the level of grip available and distributes power to the wheels that need it most.  Under normal driving conditions the engine’s torque is directed to the front wheels so the car runs with the efficiency of a family hatchback.  

However, if the front tyres begin to lose traction, power is automatically fed to the rear wheels to ensure safe, stable and dependable progress is maintained with grip from all four wheels.  An all-wheel drive lock mode is also provided to ensure a 50/50 spread of torque between the front and rear wheels at speeds up to 25mph, essential for when low speed traction and control is needed such as when driving up a slippery track or off a muddy building site towing a work trailer.

Korando CS & CSX specification

The CS is based on the passenger carrying Korando SE, and the CSX on the SE4.  For full details of the Korando equipment list click here: http://www.ssangyonggb.co.uk/Korando-Equipment and for technical specifications click here: http://www.ssangyonggb.co.uk/Korando-Technical

5 year limitless mileage warranty

All models in the SsangYong range are covered by a best-in-class 5 year limitless mileage warranty.  Designed to be totally transparent and give customers complete peace of mind, ‘limitless’ means just that: not a maximum mileage condition that some brands impose in their small print.  

All the major mechanical components are covered including wheel bearings, suspension joints and bushes, steering joints, shock absorbers and even the audio system.  Wearable components such as clutch discs and brake friction materials which could have their life reduced by poor driving are covered for one year or 12,000 miles, and the battery and paintwork for three years.

SsangYong

SsangYong cars are manufactured in South Korea by SsangYong Motor, which is 73 per cent owned by the Indian engineering conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra, and imported into the UK by SsangYong Motor UK.  Established in 1954 it is Korea's oldest vehicle manufacturer and only 4x4 and SUV specialist producer.

There are currently some 60 SsangYong dealers covering England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with new locations being added to the network all the time.

LCV range

• Korando CS & CSX - 2 & 4 wheel drive, from £12,995 ex VAT
• Korando Sports pick up - 4 wheel drive, from £15,042 ex VAT
• Rexton W CSX - 4 wheel drive, from £18,495 ex VAT

SEAT Celebrates 30 years of the Ibiza.

• Iconic Ibiza turns 30 this weekend (27 April 2014)  
• SEAT’s best-selling model, with five million sold
• Giugiaro, de’Silva and Donkerwolke among the car design legends with a hand in the Ibiza story 

This coming Sunday (27 April 2014) will be exactly 30 years since the very first SEAT Ibiza rolled off the production line in SEAT’s Zona Franca factory. Since that day, the Ibiza has remained SEAT’s most iconic and popular car, with sales approaching five million across three decades and four generations.

The car was a game-changer for SEAT, the first designed and developed completely by the Spanish company from start to finish – with a little help from some friends. Namely, collaborations with Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign design company, coachbuilder Karmann, and Porsche helped make the Ibiza a truly cutting edge small car, and the foundation of 30 years of ongoing success.

The very embodiment of the Spain of the ‘80s, the first SEAT Ibiza was ambitious, dynamic and ground-breaking. Its name, taken from the Mediterranean island, reinforced the exotic image given to it by virtue of its Spanish roots.

The backdrop chosen for the world première of the SEAT Ibiza was the prestigious Paris Motor Show in 1984, and from then on the car has gone from strength-to-strength, achieving success both in its domestic market (it has been the best-selling supermini in Spain since 2001, for example) and abroad, with almost seven of every ten produced exported; 69% of 5,000,000 total Ibiza production has been exported to more than 75 countries worldwide. 

The most important markets for the Ibiza during the early years were Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Portugal and Mexico, in addition to Spain.

SEAT will celebrate this resounding and continued success with the launch of a 30^th Anniversary model, set to go on sale in June.¹

History: the SEAT Ibiza and the Martorell production plant

SEAT ended the ‘80s with production and sales records, and became a member of the Volkswagen Group. Until 1993 the brand’s activity had been concentrated in the Barcelona Zona Franca, but its membership of a new group, the success of its new models, and the need to increase production meant that a new industrial production complex was required. SEAT would be provided with a new modern factory next to its Technical Centre in Martorell, opened in 1991.

The second-generation Ibiza would be the first vehicle built at SEAT’s new Martorell production facility. More than that, the establishment of the new factory would give rise to the creation of a suppliers’ industrial estate, which at that time comprised 20 companies.

Today Martorell remains one of the most modern and flexible factories in Europe, its international standing attested to when SEAT received the ‘Automotive Lean Production’ award. Almost 700 Ibiza vehicles are built every day on Martorell’s Line 1, employing around 1,600 people directly; all told, SEAT generates direct and indirect employment for approximately 70,000 families.

The Martorell facility is also among the most environmentally efficient in the world, not least because of the recent completion of the ‘SEAT al Sol’ project, which saw the Spanish company install 53,000 solar panels on the roof, capable of producing enough energy to meet one quarter of annual Leon production and reducing factory CO₂ emissions by 7,000 tonnes per year.

Today the multiplying effect SEAT has on the economy is indisputable: SEAT cannot be understood without Martorell, and the Spanish car industry cannot be understood without SEAT.

The SEAT Ibiza: sporty, young-spirited and design-driven

The Ibiza is 100% SEAT, since it was the first vehicle designed and developed in its entirety by the company. Design has always formed part of the Spanish brand’s DNA, and in the case of the Ibiza the four generations have borne the hallmark of distinguished names in the field of automotive design.

For the first generation of the Ibiza (1984-1993), SEAT collaborated with Italdesign, the company of world famous Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, with Karmann for the development of the bodywork, and Porsche for the technology of the ‘System Porsche’ engines.

There was a clear aesthetic leap in the second generation (1993-2002), which again bore the hallmark of Giugiaro. The lines were rounded and aerodynamic, and the car given a level of equipment and mechanical sophistication that were in those days normally only found in cars in the segments above.  

Italian designer Walter de’Silva, the current Head of Design at the Volkswagen Group, was responsible for the outline of the third-generation Ibiza (2002-2008), which took another step forward in manufacture quality, engine range and dynamic performance. Walter de’Silva introduced more attractive aesthetics, while the car’s dynamic prowess took another leap forward thanks to the ‘Agile Chassis’ concept developed by SEAT’s Technical Centre in Martorell.

The current generation of the Ibiza (2008 onwards) is the work of Luc Donckerwolke, Head of Design at SEAT in 2008 and formerly of Lamborghini. The concept of ‘Arrow Design’ was introduced with the 2008 Ibiza, resulting in a car distinctively sportier than its predecessors.

The raciest Ibiza conquers the world rally championship

The first SEAT Ibiza with a clear sports calling was the SXI with a 100 PS engine, the forerunner of the current Cupra and FR versions. In 1996, the company presented the Cupra version, with a 2.0-litre 150 PS engine, offering outstanding performance and a distinctly sporty image.

The Ibiza Kit Car was a much-awaited launch, with which SEAT achieved a brilliant triumph in the FIA 2.0-litre World Rally Championships – a success that was repeated in 1997 and 1998.

Did you know that?

• The approximate price of the SEAT Ibiza in 1984 was 825,000 pesetas (€4,950). At today’s prices that would be €15,620.
• The SEAT Ibiza was the official car at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
• The second generation of the Ibiza was the first model in its segment to be equipped with a TDI diesel engine, in this case a 90 PS unit.
• The SEAT Ibiza was the first model in its segment to have ESP (electronic stability control) as standard in the whole range.
• Sales by generation:
  • Ibiza I, 1984-1993: 1,308,461 units
  • Ibiza II, 1993-2002: 1,522,607 units
  • Ibiza III, 2002-2008: 1,221,200 units
  • Ibiza IV, 2008-to date: 924,183 units

1. An announcement will be made shortly regarding the UK release and specification of the Ibiza 30^thAnniversary Edition.