CarBrandLogos archive · SsangYong · 2015

SsangYongTivoli

The small crossover that finally made SsangYong money again.

Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in SsangYong history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the SsangYong Tivoli, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Mahindra bought SsangYong out of bankruptcy in 2011 and the Tivoli, launched in 2015, was the first entirely new model developed under that ownership. It was also the company's first serious attempt at a car-like product: a monocoque subcompact crossover with a transverse engine driving the front wheels, or four-wheel drive as an option, built at Pyeongtaek.

SsangYong Tivoli - wnętrze · Jakub "flyz1" Maciejewski · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The positioning was straightforward. It undercut the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 on price, offered more equipment than either at the money, and looked conventional enough not to frighten anyone, which was a departure for a company that had built the Actyon. A long-wheelbase XLV version added boot space, and petrol and diesel fours were offered with manual or Aisin automatic gearboxes.

SsangYong Tivolan 03 China · Navigator84 · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

It sold well immediately, returned SsangYong to profit for the first time in years, and became the company's best-seller in Korea and abroad. That reprieve did not last through the pandemic, and the company changed hands again, but the Tivoli remains in production under the KGM badge.

SsangYong Tivolan 02 China · Navigator84 · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2015–present

Engine

1.2&nbsp

Body

5-door SUV

Technical specification

The Tivoli, in detail.

Production: 2015–present
Class: Subcompact crossover SUV (B)
Body style: 5-door SUV
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive; Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Engine: 1.2 L e-XGi120T T-GDI I3 (petrol); 1.5 L e-XGi150T T-GDI I4 (petrol); 1.6 L e-XGi160 I4 (petrol); 1.6 L e-XDi160 I4-T (diesel)
Transmission: 6-speed manual; 6-speed Aisin automatic
Assembly: Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea (SsangYong Motor Company); Saveh, Iran (Noora Motor Pars); Chakan, Maharashtra, India (Mahindra), (for Sri Lanka) (2015-2020)
Manufacturer: SsangYong Motor (2015–2023); KGM (2023–present)