What's in your name: Korean cars returned to Russia incognito
While some foreign automakers who left Russia a few years ago are still thinking about returning to our market, the South Korean SsangYong brand has already done so. Even under a different name. Whether this return will be successful and whether the new KGM brand will be able to succeed with domestic buyers, the Izvestia correspondent found out during a test drive of the Korando and Torres crossovers.
Not only for Russia
Unlike a number of Chinese companies that have created separate car brands specifically for Russia, KGM is a global brand. Since the late 2000s, the financial situation of the Korean automaker SsangYong left much to be desired: the controlling stake belonged to the Chinese corporation SAIC, the Indian concern Mahindra, the company went bankrupt several times.
KGM Korando has been let in for six years now
As a result, at the beginning of 2023, the company was bought out by the South Korean consortium KG Group, which established a separate branch of KG Mobility, abbreviated KGM. In the same year, the new brand entered a number of European markets.
For the first time, Rex Motors announced plans to bring KGM cars to the Russian market in early November last year. In mid-February, the brand was officially introduced in Russia. At the same time, it was announced that at the end of this year, large-scale assembly of KGM cars will begin at the Kaliningrad Avtotor plant.
Goat trails
Vitaly Osipov, CEO of Rex Motors, confirmed plans to localize cars in Russia at a press conference before the test drive. According to him, as part of the adaptation for our market, cars will receive an increased volume of washing liquid tank. In addition, the issue of introducing a local windshield electric heating assembly at KGM is being actively explored.
In the meantime, crossovers assembled in South Korea are being supplied to Russia. It was such machines that were presented for the test. Moreover, there is no question of any alternative import — cars are imported through official channels. However, it is difficult to name the direct path by which KGM enter our country. According to the distributor's representatives, the logistics scheme involves transporting them from Korea to a port in "one of the North African states," reloading the vehicles to another ship, on which the vehicles are already being delivered to our country.
Age is not a hindrance
The first car that I managed to get acquainted with was the compact crossover Korando. This is the most "aged" model in the current line of the brand — it has been available since 2019. In the modern automotive world, six years, during which a model stays on the assembly line without significant changes, is a decent period. Although, as practice shows, there are exceptions to this rule.
The "analog" interior style of the car with a scattering of "physical" buttons on the front panel, "old-school" dial dials, rotary knobs and a massive transmission selector lever (no new-fangled joysticks) causes an attack of nostalgia. At the same time, the interior does not look old-fashioned at all and even seems homely: comfortable seats with heating and ventilation, a decent range of steering wheel adjustments in flight and tilt angle, soft plastic on both the front panel and the doors. The eight-inch multimedia display, although it looks a little small against the background of more modern competitors, is not overloaded with all kinds of settings for various systems in the latest fashion.
Externally, KGM Korando doesn't seem particularly big. However, the length of the car exceeds 4.5 m, and the wheelbase is quite a bit short of 2.7 m. Due to this, the Korean crossover can easily give a head start to other competitors from China in terms of free space in the back seats. However, even in the top version, second-row passengers are deprived of the already familiar function of heating the rear sofa.
On the move, Korando made an ambivalent impression. The tandem of a 163-horsepower 1.5-liter gasoline turbo engine combined with a six-speed automatic Asin is more than enough both when driving in urban traffic and for "shooting" along suburban highways. However, the transmission is a no-no and will unpleasantly surprise you with a noticeable "kick" when the gas is released. Most often, this feature is manifested when driving at low speed in a traffic jam: the machine sometimes gets confused when "juggling" gears in such driving modes.
There are also questions about the suspension of the crossover. On the one hand, the chassis copes well with the pits, preventing a "breakdown". On the other hand, when passing speed bumps, the car body makes two or three more vibrations: the shock absorbers clearly cannot cope with the duties assigned to them. And in the turns, the rolls could have been smaller.
Young and green
The most recent model in the KGM line is the Torres crossover, which was released in 2022. It is also considered medium-sized, but significantly (almost 20 cm) larger than Korando. The young age of the model is evident both in the deliberately angular and square exterior and in the avant-garde interior design. In accordance with recent trends, there is a digital instrument panel, a touchscreen "tablet" of the multimedia system, and bright inserts on the front panel. The main feature of the KGM Torres interior is the "floating" center console with a miniature joystick responsible for selecting transmission operating modes.
All this splendor looks really great. However, there are questions about the operation and functionality. The instrument panel, devoid of any visor, glares mercilessly, the sensitivity of the virtual multimedia buttons leaves much to be desired, and the non-lockable mini transmission selector requires a mandatory transition through neutral when switching modes.
From a technical point of view, the Torres is a copy of the Korando: the same 1.5—liter turbo engine with a capacity of 163 hp, the same six-speed automatic. However, due to other settings of the power unit (the torque of the Korando is 20 Nm less than that of the Torres), the latter feels more dynamic and adventurous. And the transmission firmware, apparently, is different for him: there are no "kicks" and jerks during gear changes, which upset his colleague, on this model. We were also pleased with the chassis settings — the suspension reliably worked out both small and large road bumps, without showing a tendency to swing.
How much are the "returnees"?
Back in February, when prices for KGM models were announced at the official brand presentation, there was a murmur among those present in the hall — expensive! You can't call the price tag for "Koreans" humane, even despite the general significant rise in car prices in Russia. The front-wheel drive Korando costs at least 4.04 million rubles, while the top-end version with all-wheel drive will cost exactly one million rubles more. As for the KGM Torres, you will have to pay at least 4.8 million rubles for owning a crossover with front-wheel drive. Dealers will ask for 5.95 million rubles for a 4x4 crossover in the maximum configuration. For similar amounts, manufacturers from China offer models one or even two levels higher.
However, there is a certain stratum of buyers on the market who are not considering the purchase of a "Chinese" under any sauce. They are willing to pay five, seven, and eight million rubles for cars imported through alternative channels from Japan or South Korea, while putting up with the often gray import patterns of such cars, the lack of branded service and warranty on them. It is precisely these consumers that KGM models are aimed at, which have a factory warranty, official service support, and fully legal supply chains for both the machines themselves and their spare parts.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
