Ssangyong’s predisposition in developing one SUV concept after another has yet to yield real-world results, but that could change with the arrival of the e-SIV Concept. The latest SUV concept to come out of the Korean automaker paints a clearer picture of the company’s plans for the future, specifically as it relates to its place in the electric car segment. The e-SIV Concept is the culmination of years of hard work developing the company’s ideal all-electric SUV. Somewhere along the way, we’re going to see an electric SUV out on the road with Ssangyong’s badge on it. We don’t know if it’s going to be an evolved version of the e-SIV, but considering the investments the company has made to get to this point, we’d like nothing more than to see the fruits of all that labor.

Ssangyong e-SIV Concept Exterior

The Ssangyong e-SIV Concept follows in a long and weird tradition that the Korean automaker has adopted in recent years. One SUV concept after another came and went without any tangible development. It’s no surprise, then, that the e-SIV’s styling draws some similarities to some of the company’s past concept SUVs, specifically the XAVL. For what it’s worth, the e-SIV does look like an evolved version of the XAVL. It has a sexier look to it that’s highlighted in large part by a distinctive front section. The front grille is a lot more prominent in this concept. The headlights configuration is also more appealing, particularly the integration of a light bar just above the grille that extends the full width of the front and connecting the two headlights together. The intakes are aggressive while the bumper and air dam are distinctive without taking too much away from the overall design. Overall, it’s a pleasant-looking front section.

The side profile also has hints of the XAVL, including the body lines in the e-SIV are far more refined than in the previous concept. Maybe this is Ssangyong showing us the improvements it has made from the XAVL, but I’m liking what I see here. There’s grace in the stylistic positioning of the body lines, something that we didn’t get to see as much in the previous concept. Hints of the XAVL do still pop up, particularly in the design of the C-pillar and the fastback-like slant as the roof approaches the rear hatch.

If there’s one section that clearly shows how evolved the e-SIV is compared to the XAVL, it’s the rear section. The monstrosity that was the XAVL’s rear design was mercifully taken out in favor of a more balanced look. The massive diffuser on the old concept was removed in favor of a layered look that culminates with a massive stretched taillight design that also runs the width of the section. There’s still an element of extreme design in the way this section of the SUV looks, but it’s still a lot better than anything Ssangyong has ever done in the last decade.

Ssangyong e-SIV Concept Interior

I’ll give Ssangyong this much credit. It’s proven itself to be adaptable to the current trends in the industry. We can see as much in the interior where the dashboard has been turned into one long and massive digital display. Another digital display can be seen below it in a portrait layout. This second display is presumably the digital instrument cluster that’s reminiscent of the one you’ll normally see inside a Tesla. A few buttons are scattered around what looks to be a traditional gear shifter.

The concept also has four sports seats, separated by two armrests. The whole cabin is dressed largely in white, though there is a blue bar that stretches from the driver’s side front door to the passenger’s side front door, crossing the width of the dashboard in the process. That’s very likely to be some kind of ambient lighting.

There’s really not much to see here other than the digital dashboard. Perhaps we’re finally seeing what the interior of a production Ssangyong SUV is going to look like? I wouldn’t put money on it, but there are a lot of design elements inside the e-SIV that wouldn’t look out-of-place in a real-life model. Just a thought.

SSangyong e-SIV Concept Drivetrain

Powering the Ssangyong e-SIV Concept is a 140 kW electric motor and a 61.5 kWh battery. The electric motor, in particular, reportedly produces 187 horsepower, which really isn’t a lot for a C-segment SUV. But it should be enough to help a production version achieve its goals of going from point A to point B. It’s also capable of a top speed of 94 mph, which, again, isn’t much. But hey, at least it’s something.

The e-SIV Concept is seriously underpowered. No surprises there. But ultimately, it shouldn’t matter, because the most important detail about the concept’s drivetrain is the range it can return and the amount of charging time it takes to get the battery pack up running to almost-full capacity. On that end, the e-SIV Concept carries a range anywhere between 200 to 280 miles while charging the battery from 0 to 80 percent takes roughly around 50 minutes. Not too bad on these fronts.

Conclusion

For a while, I thought it was actually funny that Ssangyong was getting away with rehashing one concept after another without any of them seeing the light of production. At some point, the amusement factor stopped, and the automaker’s strategy just became confusing.

That brings us to the e-SIV Concept. I still have no clue what to make of Ssangyong's intentions here, but it is good to see that the company's intentions are beginning to come into focus. All the concepts it presented in the past years -- there have been a lot of them -- point to the same thing: Ssangyong is building the know-how to develop a lineup of electric vehicles.

It's all going to culminate in production models down the road. Hopefully, the e-SIV Concept moves Ssangyong one step closer to achieving that goal.

References

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