KGM, formerly known as Ssangyong, is set to be first to sell an electric 4x4 pick-up in the UK, launching an open-backed version of its new Torres SUV early next year.
It is one of a wave of new models being introduced by KGM as it seeks to reinvent the image of Ssangyong, which it acquired from previous owner Mahindra in 2022, while broadening the brand’s market coverage and electrifying its core model lines.
The new O100 twin-motor pick-up is set to offer a range of around 300 miles and tout performance figures that shade most of its petrol and diesel rivals.
It will use an adapted version of the Torres EVX’s platform to accommodate a four-wheel-drive powertrain and a larger battery, as well as a longer wheelbase and more room behind the rear axle for a bigger load bed.
As with the Torres, most of the drive hardware will be provided by BYD, but the LFP battery will be boosted in capacity from 73.4kWh to 80.1kWh and a second motor will be added on the rear axle for a substantial power boost over the 204bhp front-driven car.
KGM stopped short of giving full details, but the battery capacity hike could be enough to nudge the Torres-based truck’s range past 300 miles, given the 287 miles claimed by the crossover. There has been no word on increasing the Torres’s 145kW maximum charging speed, though.
The company has yet to disclose the power output, but the all-important torque figure will be well in excess of the car’s 250lb ft - good news for towing capacity and off-road potential.
It is not envisioned as a replacement for the brand’s Musso pick-up, which is slightly larger and – as with the Korando, Rexton and Tivoli SUVs – is set to remain on sale in its current, Mahindra-engineered form until KGM launches a more direct successor.
Chinese commercial vehicle brand Maxus – owned by MG parent company SAIC – already sells the T90 EV pick-up in the UK, but it is exclusively rear-driven and limited in terms of its commercial viability. While KGM has yet to give full technical details for the O100, early specifications suggest it will beat the T90 on range, pace and load capacity.
Alongside the O100, KGM also plans to launch a production version of the striking F100 SUV and a new coupé-SUV based on the Torres platform, as well as a retro-styled successor to the Korando that heavily references the original 1990s model in its design.
A hybrid version of the Torres, once again using a BYD powertrain, is also inbound, as is an MPV model atop a new platform - though bosses have stopped short of giving any more details on that.
