JEDDAH, 11 February 2007 — Zahid Tractor, sole distributor in the Kingdom of SsangYong Motor vehicles, launched the South Korean car manufacturer’s new Actyon sport utility vehicle (SUV) onto the Saudi market yesterday.
Designed and priced to attack the fastest growing market segment in the Kingdom, the mid-20 to mid-30 buyers, the new contender is a departure from the larger luxury and limousine market. Entry level pricing in the range of SR57,000 makes it a competitive player in the expanding youth market.
Alain Sykora, director automotive division of Zahid Tractor was upbeat about the potential of the new model.
“Our relationship with SsangYong goes back over eight years, he said, “and we are enthusiastic that our future is strong — we believe that together assisted in no small part by impressive new models such as the Karan, the Rodeus and the Actyon.”
G. T. Lee, managing director, vehicle export division, said that he anticipated that SsangYong would, building on their already strong partnership with Zahid Tractor, become a leading player in the market with the support of SsangYong products. He pointed to the half-century history of the Korean carmaker, founded in 1954, and its position as market leader in the luxury car segment in Korea. “I am convinced that this new model will become the leading model in this segment of the market in Saudi Arabia,” he said, and added that there would be more new models to follow.
The Actyon A230 petrol version, comes either with 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmissions. The part-time electronic 4WD system, operated by a simple dashboard mounted switch, gives a selection handling and ride to match surface conditions, allowing a very fast switch to two-wheel operation. This, says SsangYong, increases fuel efficiency and is instantly controllable. The car is, despite its deceptively sporty looks, capable of towing heavier loads than rivals in it class.
The distinctive design and styling, shark-like frontal design and eagle-eye headlamps project a dynamic image that is aimed directly at the mid-20’s to -30’s age group. An underbody skid plate prevents damage to the chassis when driving over speed bumps or other obstacles while the wedge-shaped profile of a sport car continues the trend to sleeker SUVs.
Tariq Wardani, general manager for Zahid Tractor, said that the first shipment of 50 or so Actyons was sold out. “All the orders that have come in are for 4x4 and automatic transmission,” he said, “even though the range includes options of 2x4 with and without automatic and the 4x4 manual.” He added that one of the additions to the range would be a diesel sport Actyon that is designed on the lines similar to a pickup.