Monday, August 31, 2015
Brand building may help SsangYong Rexton pip Fortuner
Auto giant Mahindra and Mahindra has rolled out the Rexton from sports utility vehicle or SUV specialist SsangYong’s stable, and with the price being below the Rs 20-lakh mark, the Rexton will compete with Toyota’s Fortuner and some brand building may help the Rexton trump the Fortuner.
The Rexton SUV is priced at Rs 17.67 lakh (manual variant) while the automatic version will come for Rs 19.67 lakh. The new Rexton will be available in two variants only, the RX5 MT and RX7 AT AWD and come only in the diesel option.
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| The SsangYong Rexton. |
This is SsangYong’s first SUV launch in India after Mahindra took over the Korean giant. In November 2010, Mahindra and Mahindra acquired 70 per cent in the ailing SsangYong Motor Company of Korea for $463 million (nearly Rs 2,000 crore).
The Rexton that will be available is the third generation model or the Rexton W which comes with sophisticated styling, luxurious interiors and superior handling.
It will vie with the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Endeavour.
The high-end SUV market in the country is dominated by Toyota Fortuner, which grabs nearly half of the total monthly 2,500 unit sales in the segment.
“SsangYong is a strong player in SUVs and we are confident that it will do well,” president of Mahindra's automotive division Pawan Goenka, who is also chairman of SsangYong, said.
The Rexton W has evolved in terms of looks. The previous Rexton was quite clumsy but the Rexton W has great looks and is fairly spacious too. The new grille and the chrome on the front end make it the cynosure of all eyes.
The powertrain is also a Mercedes-derived unit. The 2.7-litre engine of the Rexton is the same engine that propelled the E-Class and M-Class cars a couple of years back.
The high-end RX7 automatic Rexton has a more powerful (184 bhp) engine but the RX5 manual has a switchable four-wheel-drive system and the 2.7-litre engine can belt out 162 bhp power.
Inside, there are plush leather seats which are highly comfortable. You can compare the comfort level to even high-end cars like the BMW and Merc models.
The steering wheel comes with a litany of buttons, which may seem confusing initially. But once you get used to them, you’re almost on a song.
The top-end RX7 model comprises a touchscreen audio system with built-in GPS, sunroof auto headlights, parking sensors, airbags, ABS, wipers and an 8-way adjustable driver’s seat. Considering the external looks, the space inside seems to be somewhat less.
The SsangYong Rexton has been prudently priced (below the Fortuner) and some ad blitz and brand building by Mahindra may help it pip the Toyota Fortuner and lead the high-end SUV market in India in the middle term.
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