A recent trademark registration by KGM suggests the Korean brand formerly known as SsangYong may well be gearing up for a return to South Africa. Here’s what we know…
Remember SsangYong? Well, these days the Korean brand is known as the “KG Mobility Corporation” (or KGM, for short). And a recent trademark registration suggests a return to South Africa may well be under consideration.
Before we delve into the details, here’s a quick refresher on the firm’s chequered history. Originally established as Dong-A Motor in 1954, the company was renamed “SsangYong Motor” in 1988. In 1997, Daewoo Motors bought a controlling stake in the firm, before China’s SAIC Motor and India’s Mahindra took over in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
In 2022, after Mahindra cut funding to SsangYong due to outstanding debt – with the latter thus being forced to file for bankruptcy – the marque was acquired by a South Korean conglomerate called the KG Group. SsangYong was rebranded to KGM the following year (though it’s interesting to note the company is called “KGM SsangYong” in Australia today).
Soon thereafter, in June 2023, the KG Mobility Corporation applied to trademark “KG Mobility” in South Africa. And, by January 2025, the trademark had been officially registered in Mzansi.
The company technically still holds the rights to various familiar SsangYong badges previously used in SA – including Actyon (though this trademark expires in September 2025), Korando, Rexton and Musso – along with Tivoli and Torres (the latter registered locally in April 2023). Interestingly, KGM’s current global line-up comprises these 6 nameplates.
The Tivoli is a small crossover that shares its platform with Mahindra’s XUV300 (and, naturally, the XUV 3XO , too), while the Korando, Actyon, Rexton and Torres (with the latter offered in EV form, too) are all crossovers/SUVs. Finally, the Musso is, of course, a body-on-frame bakkie.
KGM says it’s developing a battery-electric bakkie (codenamed “0100”) as well as fully electric SUVs, all under a partnership with Chinese new-energy vehicle brand BYD. Furthermore, the Korean automaker recently signed an agreement with Chery, announcing that it will “jointly develop mid-to-large SUVs targeting global markets” with this Chinese company, too.
As a reminder, SsangYong entered the South African market around 1995, with Mahindra SA taking over as the brand’s local distributor in 2012. Exactly when SsangYong officially withdrew from Mzansi is unclear, though it was likely sometime between 2017 and 2019.
Of course, as we always point out in such instances, a trademark application is by no means a guarantee the automaker in question will indeed enter the market. But considering KGM has already established a presence in fellow right-hand-drive markets such as the United Kingdom and Australia, this trademark registration is an indication the brand is at least considering expanding into South Africa, too…
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