SsangYong goes to Sime Darby
September 11, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
SsangYong Motors Australasia has just announced the company will transfer all Australian distribution rights for SsangYong motor vehicles and parts to Sime Darby. SsangYong said in a statement that an official date is yet to be set, however it is expected before month’s end.
Under the current system, SsangYong cars and parts are distributed by SsangYong Motors Australasia under the vision of its principals Russell Burling and Vince Barbagallo. With Russell Burling also in charge of SsangYong in New Zealand. Vince Barbagallo, is part of the Barbagallo group of dealers and the SsangYong dealer in Perth.
“We see Sime Darby as the best candidate in the market to take the SsangYong business to the next level and look forward to working with them,” said Russell Burling and Vince Barbagallo in a joint statement.
From Sime Darby Motors’s point of view, taking on board SsangYong allows the company to significantly increase its presence in Australia. The company’s Motor Division Executive Vice President Lawrence Lee said the Group had been looking to expand its motor operations in Australia and had decided to move into segments of the market in which it did not operate.
“In SsangYong we see a strong Pickup and SUV product offering that has significant opportunity for growth. Its established credentials for making solid products in these segments, and the extent to which it does so as its specialty, is something that we intend to capitalise on. Its availability of Pickup and SUV in 2WD or 4WD, with Diesel engines in both manual and automatic transmission is also something quite unique,” he said.
Sime Darby has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s, the company is now a majority Malaysian owned and registered business with diversified operations in over 20 countries.
Apart from motor vehicles, Sime Darby also deals in plantations, property, industrial equipment, energy and utilities, and healthcare.
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I am surprised there are not thousands of theses cars on Australian roads. Well priced, loads of futures, drive well and most of them look great. Why buy a Toyota dual cab when you can have the same thing with a Ssangyong badge and save $$$$$$
I’d agree with you, but they make the world’s ugliest cars, so doesn’t matter how feature packed they are, if they look the way they do, no one in their right mind can buy them.
I think u 2 guys need to get your bum in one and drive it a while then get back to us.
They are budget/base motoring, worse is they fall to bits inside, all the trim and fittings fail.
SSyong think by changing importers they will increase share, WRONG cut-the-price and things *could* happen.
They are junk and a good reason to buy a late model Japper, still better than that Indian shyster brand Mahindra?
Cheers
F-0
Have you guys actually driven one or know someone that has had one?
A family friend of ours had one for 3 years and bought it brand new mind you. In that period the transmission failed, The engine died, and not to mention the 100 bits that fell off and broke inside the car. Hell, even the door handle broke off when all he simply wanted to do is open the door!
I’ve never seen a door handle break before in my life even in my dads old 25 year old work horse falcon which he punishes day in day out.
I wont even mention the fit and finish and the squeaks and crackles from the dashboard.
The Salesman, can I ask why you don’t own a SsangYong then if you think they’re so good?
Cheers
True, I don’t own a Ssangyong. I know of five Stavic’s used by an airport transfer company who are most impressed with them. I believe Daewoo was responsible for your friend’s car back in the Musso days.
the salesman
Irony is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or discordance between what a speaker / writer /actor says or does, and what he or she means or what is generally understood.
surely this what you were saying. you must be joking.
Hilux’s are the biggest selling vehicle of any type in this country. you comparison is like a Ferrari and a Kia.
oh dear….
The design goal was to capture the essence of a luxury yacht. In 2005 won the dubious distinction of being voted “the ugliest car ever made” by visitors to motoring website CarData, and is described by Top Gear Magazine as a car “that looks like it got bottled in a pub brawl and stitched back together by a blind man”. [1]
this is from wikipedia about the Rodius. need i say more.
only the guilable or the old buy these cars…
Burling did very well to get out of it. It went like a skyrocket in NZ, and then Aus, for a couple of years, but then even he knew the right time to get out. Good luck Sime Darby, when it all turns to custard you’ve got plenty of places to absorb the losses.
Ssangyong is a well built, top work truck. Sure it is ugly.Yes i own one, and i am a mechanic. DamMan, Yianni and FRUGAL, get your head out of the sand. Obiously you wouldnt approve of anything that hasnt got a T on the front of it
Well “motor head” you pay your money, you make your choices. “and I am a Mechanic”, what does that add to your point. Doctors get cancer too. just saying…
A used Rodeo, Triton or Hilux is really A far better choice. The majority of Australians Vote with their wallets and agree.
Whats ssangyonngs market share… about 0.8%?
Over all if I was a Ute buyer, Ssangyong would tick more boxes being a new car with new car warranty. In my experience used utes are just that very, very used. It would be hard work to find one at a reasonable price and condition. Maybe the majority of Australians should re visit some of the other products like Ssangyong or Mahindra.Over all if I was a Ute buyer, Ssangyong would tick more boxes being a new car with new car warranty. In my experience used utes are just that very, very used. It would be hard work to find one at a reasonable price and condition. Maybe the majority of Australians should re visit some of the other products like Ssangyong or Mahindra.
It’s actually a huge 0.02% YTD
sorry mr motorhead and mr salesman,your not gunna win this one.and lets forget about the looks,the worse than daewoo quality,the diesel motor that can’t pull itself out of the driveway,and focus on some other things…servicing???dealer network????spare parts???history??? and of course the killer…resale value…good luck with it mate!!
Dan the man the intellectual mechanic.LOL
Where are they going to get the extra merc badges from?LOL
Know a bloke with a new Sangyong and he is happy with it.Yeah rexton that’s the one.
If motorhead is happy good luck to him. Perhaps they have lifted their game over the past four or five years like the rest of the Koreans.
I agree stop the T worship please. Oh what a ripoff!
Dan Man,
So let me get this right. You think a car company that mass produces and distributes globally, a product that they must warrant for three years, is crap? I am sure all car manufactures want repeat and referral business to grow their market share and i am sure they are aware you cant do that with a bad product. It sounds like Ssangyong would have saved themselves millions of dollars and countless hours if they just asked YOU.Also i didn’t know doctors could buy cancer, you fool…..
In 1997 Daewoo Motors bought a controlling stake from the Ssangyong Group, only to sell it off again in 2000, because the conglomerate ran into deep financial troubles. In late 2004, the Chinese automobile manufacturer SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) took a 51% stake of SsangYong Motor Company.
OOps my bad i take it all back…
buting a ssangyong is a bit like masturbation… feels good at the time but then you realise you just f@#ked yourself…
And another thing..
They wouldn’t have saved alot of money asking me.. I charge big bucks.. Lies are free, the truth is expensive…
Do we really need a another ‘brand’ selling there ‘new’ old cars here?
I have an Actyon Sports (duel cab ute) and I can’t complain. It is very economical, gets up and goes when you want it to and nothing has fallen off yet. So far 18000 k’s. I might have thought about a hilux if it was made in Japan and it wasn’t so expensive. Oh, and by the way, i’m neither guilable or old.
The Stavic has Mercedes Benz Transmission in it (in fact the drive train is Mercedes Benz) and these Transmissions fall apart in the Mercedes as well. Just not Ssangyongs are crap so is Mercedes.
I have had mixed experience with Rextons. Rexton 1 was going well until an oil leak from the head gasket. DH mechanic didn’t tighten the cam drive sprockets and we all know what happens when valves and pistons meet. Ssangyong Australia were very helpful concidering it was a dealer stuff up. I ended up with an additional 2yrs and 50k warranty. The dealer has since went bust not long after that and I went to AutoDeutche in Bayswater.
The Rexton 1 continued to have a few engine related issues and finally with Ssangongs assistance, I moved into a Rexton II XVT with the 137kw motor. This is a great vehicle with improved ride due to the independent rear end and performance with the stronger motor. Personally I think they are a great car which has been let down by the dealer network; maybe that was a Rapson issue which will be overcome by the new distributors.
Next year will be interesting with the new V6 diesel.
I think I may have changed over just a tad to soon.
I own a Rexton 2.The vehicle is 2 years old with 27000kms on the clock. Recently the starter motor died and vehicle had to be trucked 100kms to the nearest dealer. Parts backup pathetic,it took 2 weeks to get the replacement part.In 40 years of owning and driving vehicles I’ve never had a starter motor fail in 200,000kms let alone 27000kms.After the 10000km service the transmission developed an oil leak,3 trips to the dealer and 3 weeks waiting for parts eventually got the problem rectified. I’m happy with the vehicles performance but as we purchased this vehicle to tow a caravan around Australia I think we would be crazy to try it.
I have a musso sports 2006 and have done most things that the toyota’s nissans jeeps in my club have done I do have a little issue with height clearance but aside from that my diesel just keeps going and going even when i have had a little dirt in airfilter. I get 650 just before the red light come on and then 10lt left. can’t beat that yes they are ugly but man i have done 121000kms in 3.5 years one third that off road bendely ranges, peak, morgan loveday. completed all. so i would not think twice in getting back into a ssangyong.