2022 SsangYong J100 electric SUV spied – UPDATE: Snapped undisguised

31 January 2022: Footage of the new 2022 SsangYong J100 has emerged out of South Korea, showing the vehicle's rear end with no camouflage.

Spied by YouTube's Woopa TV, the new J100 stays remarkably faithful to design sketches released last year, with upright 3D-effect tail-lights, green and white two-tone paint, spare wheel-look tailgate insert, and a contrasting rear pillar.

No new details of the model have emerged since the last spy photos were published – though the SsangYong brand has found a new owner, Edison Motors, with the deal to be completed in the coming months.

The 2022 SsangYong J100 (or whichever name the production car wears) is slated for debut this year.

28 July 2021: The 2022 SsangYong ‘J100’ electric SUV has been spied testing in South Korea – quelling fears that teaser sketches released last month were nothing more than far-fetched enticement for prospective investors.

A sole image posted to the Clien forum shows a prototype for SsangYong’s upcoming mid-size electric SUV – codenamed J100 – wearing moderate amounts of camouflage and, crucially, a South Korean registration plate.

However, whether the J100 (or whatever name it wears in showrooms) meets its planned 2022 launch date will depend on the Korean car maker’s ability to find a buyer within the coming days and weeks to pull the company out of bankruptcy and turn its fortunes around.

Despite its dire financial situation, development of new models appears to be progressing faster than ever, with the sighting of the J100 prototype following sketches of a smaller ‘KR10’ SUV, likely sized similarly to the compact Tivoli.

The J100 prototype’s styling closely resembles the sketches released by SsangYong in June, with both sharing the same eye-like LED headlight design, tall front fog light surrounds, six-bar grille, and metallic lower skid plate.

Five-spoke alloy wheels seemingly borrowed from the petrol-powered Korando fill the arches.

The single image posted online doesn’t provide a look at the SUV’s rear end, though it’s fair to expect the styling seen in the sketch to largely carry over.

Mechanical details of the J100 have yet to be confirmed, though SsangYong has confirmed it will employ an electric powertrain – though how many motors it will use, the size of its battery and its power/torque outputs aren’t known.

It’s also unclear whether the model will ride on a body-on-frame platform like the larger Rexton SUV and Musso ute, or a car-derived monocoque chassis as per the Korando – though the confirmation the J100 will spawn a ute variant indicates that whichever architecture is chosen will require a focus on durability and load-carrying capacity.

It's possible the J100 could use an upgraded evolution of the front-wheel-drive electric drivetrain powering the new Korando e-Motion, pairing a 140kW electric motor with a 61.5kWh lithium-ion battery.

Expect to hear more on the 2022 SsangYong 'J100', as its planned 2022 launch date approaches.