The car-maker formerly known as SsangYong previews a battery-electric rival for the Hyundai Santa Cruz called O100
The ever-expanding collection of electric utes coming to market could be about to gain yet another new player in the form of the O100 from SsangYong, which is now known as KG Mobility.
Presented in concept form at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show in a fetching gold colourway, the O100 is a new compact pick-up that blends the exclusive front lighting signature of the just-revealed Torres EVX mid-size SUV on which it’s based with some of the tougher and more rugged design cues of the combustion-powered Torres.
KG Mobility specifically describes the sub-Musso dual-cab as an “urban electric pickup” that “emphasises practicality” so owners “can enjoy a lifestyle that encompasses the city and the outdoors”.
That and its monocoque construction automatically rules out the O100 as a direct rival for Australia’s most popular utes, all of which ride on a ladder frame to deliver solid off-road and towing capability, and makes the compact Korean ute more of a competitor for car-based dual-cabs not sold here like the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick.
Besides its bold exterior design and apparent inclusion of vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging capability, KG Mobility has revealed very few details of the O100. However, the zero-emission pick-up did debut alongside two other electric concepts; the F100 and KR10.
The former is KG Mobility’s vision for what its all-electric large SUV(s) of the future will look like – even if it does look like an electric FJ Cruiser – with a much more rugged physique than the current Rexton family hauler.
Its chunky and muscular stance is emphasised at the front by the fully configurable ‘kinetic lighting block’, which injects the package with an extra sense of width.
“The F100 presented a new direction of large electric SUV design that can expand the realm of life by adding a mechanical and futuristic sensibility to the bold image of the traditional SUV,” said KG Mobility.
Meantime, the KR10 is a capable small-medium SUV designed to honour the 40th anniversary of the Korando nameplate, which first debuted on a re-engineered CJ Jeep – and preview the upcoming X200 project.
All three concepts were shown at Seoul in conjunction with the production-spec Torres EVX and KG Mobility’s next-generation modular EV platform, which the brand says will offer up to 380kW in dual-motor form when it’s rolled out by 2026.
“KG Mobility’s new EV platform applies front/rear motors to enable switching between front/rear and two-wheel/four-wheel drive depending on the driving environment, as well as combining the functions of several parts into one single component,” said the Korean car-maker.
“The integrated front 3-in-1 and rear 8-in-1 design increases space efficiency such as the configuration of the trunk, and the flat battery system and optimised design allow for expansion of the interior space through wheelbase adjustment.”
With the current Tivoli, Korando, Rexton and Musso all set to end of their respective product lives by mid-decade, it would be safe to assume their successors will nearly all be underpinned by this new platform.
The prospect of a dual-motor 380kW Musso is certainly a tantalising one, especially if KG Mobility continues to blend segment-topping value with class-leading aftersales care.
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Keyword: KG Mobility unveils electric urban ute concept