News: Ssangyong shows bold roofless SUV concept at Paris

SSANGYONG HAS raised the roof on the compact SUV sector in Paris with the XIV-Air, a concept for a sporty soft-roader with a removable targa roof. Inside, the open-air theme continues with bird wing-inspired shapes and two-tone, white and dark-blue colourways intended to convey space and sportiness.

Less radical, because it has a conventional hard roof, is the XIV-Adventure aimed at urbanites with a taste for the big outdoors, hence the concept’s heavy-duty bumper protectors, roof rack and search light.

Of the two, the Adventure is most likely to make production. Both are based on the five-door X100, which arrives in the UK next summer powered by a choice of 1.6-litre petrol or diesel engines, and with manual or automatic transmissions. Two and four-wheel-drive versions will also be available.

Saangyong hasn’t revealed prices for the X100 but expect them to be at the lower end of the compact SUV sector. In the meantime, it’s busy dreaming up a name for the new car, in place of its model code.

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