SsangYong name axed in Australia
KGM SsangYong will formally be known as KGM Australia from June 1, 2025, accompanied by a new slogan – the same day the 2026 KGM Actyon goes on sale here.
It will be the first time the SsangYong name will be missing from local showrooms since the Mercedes-Benz -powered SsangYong Musso SUV – now the name used on its dual-cab ute – was introduced in 1997.
The rebrand began in 2022 in the company's South Korea home market after a majority stake in the automaker was purchased by KG Group.
Australia adopted the name KGM SsangYong in September last year, with KGM standing for 'KG Mobility', even as most markets ditched the SsangYong name entirely.
100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
The former SsangYong brand – a name which dates back to the company's origins in 1954 – becomes simply KGM Australia from June 1, with the local arm one of the last in the world to make the change.
The Australian rebrand coincides with the introduction of the first vehicle developed since it became part of KG Group, the KGM Actyon SUV, into local showrooms.
'It's timely we fully embrace the KGM branding here in Australia and celebrate the latest vehicle design language with a brand logo re-fresh, to align with KGM's global identity and better reflect our commitment to design excellence,' Joseph Lee, managing director of KGM Australia, said in a statement.
As well as a new logo, the rebrand also brings a fresh slogan: 'Korean built to last'.
Australian pricing and specs for the 2026 KGM Actyon have been announced with the new-generation SUV offered in a two-model grade lineup starting at $47,000 drive-away.
It will join the KGM Korando, Rexton and Torres SUVs in Australian showrooms as well as the brand's best-seller, the Musso dual-cab ute.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
36 minutes ago
- The Age
Albanese's gas project extension is a mistake - but it's not too late
The Albanese government's approval of the North West Shelf gas extension to 2070 is not just a mistake – it's a devastating blow; a blow to voters who so recently backed a renewable-powered future, to young Australians hopeful for change, to the traditional owners caring for the Murujuga rock art, and to Labor's own proud tradition of acting for the benefit of all Australians. This is the most polluting fossil fuel project approved in Australia in a decade – more polluting than any project approved under coal-loving Scott Morrison. It will unleash more than 4 billion tonnes of climate pollution, equivalent to a decade of Australia's current emissions. It risks wiping out any climate progress this government has made and it tarnishes its legacy. This decision will cast a long shadow over the Albanese government. Visionary Labor prime ministers have stood up against short-term vested interests to protect Australia's environment: think saving the Franklin River; banning uranium mining at Coronation Hill; preventing oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef. This decision does not fit with that proud history. It's a capitulation to one of the most powerful fossil fuel companies operating in Australia today: Woodside. Voters rejected Peter Dutton's gas expansion plan, yet the Albanese government is pressing ahead with it. The justifications don't stack up. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese keeps telling us this gas is needed for 'firming capacity' or to support our neighbours. But the WA gas markets are completely separate from those on the east coast. There is simply no pipeline connecting them. That's why the prime minister's comments this week, linking the North West Shelf extension to the need for gas in the eastern states, were hard to believe. It's frankly misleading to suggest this project will support energy reliability for most Australians. In reality, only a tiny fraction of the gas will be used in WA, and none of it will be used on the east coast. Most will be exported. And even our biggest customer, Japan, is now exporting more gas than it imports from us. The global market is heading for oversupply. Australia doesn't need this gas. The world doesn't want it. So who benefits? Not Australian households, who already pay the price for our over-reliance on gas. Not workers, whose skills should be helping build clean industries – not propping up a dying one. And not communities on the climate frontline – like flood-hit towns on the NSW coast or farmers battling drought in South Australia. Loading The only clear winners here are Woodside's executives and shareholders. This is a company that has long leveraged its political connections and its deep pockets to keep its polluting projects in business and the Albanese government just handed it a new lease on life. It is plundering petroglyphs for profit and burning down the prospect of a safer future for the next generation of Australians. Because this project is not just a climate disaster – it's a cultural and diplomatic disaster in the making.
Sydney Morning Herald
43 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese's gas project extension is a mistake - but it's not too late
The Albanese government's approval of the North West Shelf gas extension to 2070 is not just a mistake – it's a devastating blow; a blow to voters who so recently backed a renewable-powered future, to young Australians hopeful for change, to the traditional owners caring for the Murujuga rock art, and to Labor's own proud tradition of acting for the benefit of all Australians. This is the most polluting fossil fuel project approved in Australia in a decade – more polluting than any project approved under coal-loving Scott Morrison. It will unleash more than 4 billion tonnes of climate pollution, equivalent to a decade of Australia's current emissions. It risks wiping out any climate progress this government has made and it tarnishes its legacy. This decision will cast a long shadow over the Albanese government. Visionary Labor prime ministers have stood up against short-term vested interests to protect Australia's environment: think saving the Franklin River; banning uranium mining at Coronation Hill; preventing oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef. This decision does not fit with that proud history. It's a capitulation to one of the most powerful fossil fuel companies operating in Australia today: Woodside. Voters rejected Peter Dutton's gas expansion plan, yet the Albanese government is pressing ahead with it. The justifications don't stack up. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese keeps telling us this gas is needed for 'firming capacity' or to support our neighbours. But the WA gas markets are completely separate from those on the east coast. There is simply no pipeline connecting them. That's why the prime minister's comments this week, linking the North West Shelf extension to the need for gas in the eastern states, were hard to believe. It's frankly misleading to suggest this project will support energy reliability for most Australians. In reality, only a tiny fraction of the gas will be used in WA, and none of it will be used on the east coast. Most will be exported. And even our biggest customer, Japan, is now exporting more gas than it imports from us. The global market is heading for oversupply. Australia doesn't need this gas. The world doesn't want it. So who benefits? Not Australian households, who already pay the price for our over-reliance on gas. Not workers, whose skills should be helping build clean industries – not propping up a dying one. And not communities on the climate frontline – like flood-hit towns on the NSW coast or farmers battling drought in South Australia. Loading The only clear winners here are Woodside's executives and shareholders. This is a company that has long leveraged its political connections and its deep pockets to keep its polluting projects in business and the Albanese government just handed it a new lease on life. It is plundering petroglyphs for profit and burning down the prospect of a safer future for the next generation of Australians. Because this project is not just a climate disaster – it's a cultural and diplomatic disaster in the making.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Trump rages at ‘hustler' judges with his tariff agenda at mercy of the courts
Washington: President Donald Trump's sweeping worldwide tariffs will remain in place while the government pursues an appeal that will almost certainly be decided by the Supreme Court, with the administration saying it expects America's trading partners to keep negotiating deals in the meantime. The Court of International Trade on Thursday struck down a large swath of Trump's tariffs, finding the president overstepped his legal authority by using emergency powers. Less than 24 hours later, a federal judge in Washington made the same finding in a separate case. However, on Thursday (Friday AEST) a federal appeals court agreed to temporarily preserve the tariffs – which include a 10 per cent levy on Australian goods – while the appeal is urgently held. The White House said it expected the matter to be settled by the US Supreme Court, which could receive an appeal as soon as Friday. The government will argue that Trump has the authority to enact the tariffs under his foreign affairs and national security powers. 'The courts should have no role here,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. 'There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process. 'America cannot function if President Trump – or any other president for that matter – has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. These judges are threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage.' Trump later issued his first public remarks on the initial Court of International Trade ruling – which found the US Constitution gave Congress exclusive authority to regulate commerce with other countries – calling it 'wrong' and 'political'.
