SsangYong Motor has solidified mutual cooperation for expanding exports to the Middle East by hosting senior executives from the UAE-based “NEWEAST GENERAL TRADING JAFZA (NGT)” during their visit to South Korea, which included a tour of the Pyeongtaek factory and a meeting with Chairman Kwak Jae-sun.
The NGT executives, who visited SsangYong Motor on a 1-night, 2-day schedule starting from the 13th, toured the assembly line and chassis line where the Torres and Korando are produced, experiencing the product quality and competitiveness firsthand through test drives of the Torres and others.
Additionally, they discussed strategies for export, product development plans, and shared the company’s mid- to long-term vision during their meeting with Chairman Kwak Jae-sun, exploring ways to strengthen mutual cooperation.
SsangYong Motor and NGT had entered into an export contract in January; plans are in place to expand the order volume starting from 7,000 units this year up to about 10,000 units in the future.
Last year, SsangYong Motor exported 45,294 vehicles, marking the highest performance in six years since 2016 (52,290 units), including 3,819 units shipped to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Israel.
SsangYong Motor anticipates an increase in export volume to the Middle East through this UAE export, continued from the KD cooperation project with Saudi Arabia’s SNAM. SNAM held a groundbreaking ceremony for a local assembly plant last January and plans to expand production to 30,000 units annually by establishing a factory for the second phase of the project, starting local assembly production from this year.
In the meantime, following its new beginning as part of the KG Group last year, SsangYong Motor is accelerating its global market strategy. Starting with the global test drive event for the Torres in November, they invited excellent dealers from Central Europe, including Germany and Belgium, to the Pyeongtaek factory for the first time in three years since 2019. Last January, SsangYong showcased five models, including the Korando Emotion, at the Brussels Motor Show, officially starting its attack on the European market.
SsangYong Motor stated, “Following the UAE export, based on the successful cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s SNAM, we expect a significant increase in the volume of exports to the Middle East. As we recorded our highest performance in six years last year, we plan to strengthen our global market strategy this year, including the expansion of the global launch of the Torres and diversification of export regions as part of our ongoing growth in exports.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr