South Korean 4×4 specialist SsangYong recently revealed an all new model called the Torres, which it said will be coming to Europe as a BEV in 2023. This vehicle is currently known by its internal project name U100, will also fill a space in the range between the Korando and Rexton, the brand’s second smallest and largest offerings respectively.
It therefore should be about the size of today’s Skoda Enyaq, although being a SsangYong model, we expect it to have a bit more off-road emphasis than the Czech model, and pretty much all other models in the segment. SsangYong is like Land Rover in the way it prides itself with the fact that all models that bear the badge are designed to be good off-road, although they aren’t quite as well equipped to do it as ones from the British brand.
Perhaps only the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are worthy off-road rivals for the Torres. Its design has already been fully revealed, but we don’t know whether the fully-electric version will have changes typically associated with EVs, or if the vehicle shown in the press material is actually the electric one.
Granted, the Jeep-like grille does appear to be fully-closed, but there is still a big open intake underneath. The press release isn’t very clear on this point, but we presume it will be built on the same platform as the smaller Korando, and it could share that model’s 188 horsepower electric powertrain and battery that grants it around 200 miles (322 km) of range on one charge.
SsangYong isn’t saying too much about the new EV yet. All the company said recently when it showed more of the Torres was that
With the Torres we are filling the gap between mid-size SUVs like the Korando and larger models in the D/E segment like the Rexton. With this step, we are creating an additional market segment that opens up new growth opportunities for us, especially if we successively develop the product range.
Originally published at https://insideevs.com/news/592933/ssangyong-torres-ev-coming-europe-2023/
