Russia's Sollers automobile company is planning to start the assembly of a preproduction version of the Ssangyong C200 city crossover at its Far East plant. According to the company, the new car will be based on a Ssangyong concept that debuted at the 2010 South Korean Auto Show in Busan last month.
Official production of the car in Russia is scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.
The C200 is built on an entirely new platform and equipped with a new common-rail direct-injection diesel engine that meets Euro-5 standards. The crossover is expected to have 181-horsepower 2.0-liter turbodiesel and 1.8-liter gasoline engine choices in Russia.
In South Korea the new crossover will be sold under the Korando C brand name. Its Russian name, pricing and equipment options have not yet been announced. Sollers believes that the new crossover will compete well against the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota RAV4, all of which are popular with Russian buyers.
Currently, Sollers' Vladivostok plant produces the Ssangyong Kyron, Actyon and Actyon Sport. According to official data, in the first quarter of the current year 1,805 SsangYong models were sold in Russia, which is 13 percent less than during the same period of 2009.
Inside Line says: Sollers looks for a winner at home with the new Ssangyong.
