SSangyong enjoy success up North which evades them down south.

goochy

different importer I know and maybe they are priced more keenly up North than here compared to well known brands.
The Belfast SsangYong dealer has won an award for selling more vehicles than any other dealer in the Uk.
It seems that Northern and Uk motorists are more keen on budget brands than we down South are.

I know Dacia are doing well but the likes of Kia, Hyundai , lada and Proton were popular there long before they were here.

The way things are going for SsangYong down South , hes hard to see them having a long term future here.

Special Circumstances

I've heard...

they're...

..Bombproof

Special Circumstances

delete - it was a poor enough joke the first time

Toyotafanboi

the name is killing them. Its blatantly "made in China". that means a lot to the Irish motorist, in the same way a new reg plate does, we'd rather be in crippling debt for a BMW than have people see us drive a Hyundai and think that that's all we can afford.

i know Daewoo pulled that stunk years ago, but if Ssangyong had an opportunity to dip it's toes into badge engineering with a different company it might really help them out.

the Korando could easily be a Tucson derivative if you squint hard enough at it and if it wore a more familiar or recognised badge like Chevrolet/ Chrysler or something like that, people would be a lot more keen i'd say.

CJhaughey

Ssangyong are Korean though no?

Terrontress

goochy wrote: »

different importer I know and maybe they are priced more keenly up North than here compared to well known brands.
The Belfast SsangYong dealer has won an award for selling more vehicles than any other dealer in the Uk.
It seems that Northern and Uk motorists are more keen on budget brands than we down South are.

I know Dacia are doing well but the likes of Kia, Hyundai , lada and Proton were popular there long before they were here.

The way things are going for SsangYong down South , hes hard to see them having a long term future here.

Is Bill Cullen still the SsangYongb Ireland distributor?

I have no evidence whatsoever to support this but, in my mind, with the same budget, people in the North will go for a bigger car with a less expensive brand whereas South of the border, consumers will buy a more premium brand with a smaller car. The likes of Ford didn't bother with a Focus saloon in the UK, no Astra saloon either, although both sell well in Ireland. Whereas, as you say, they have always loved the Korean, Russian, Malaysian stuff up there.

Toyotafanboi

CJhaughey wrote: »

Ssangyong are Korean though no?

google says yes.

clearly i didn't know that, but first impressions are everything and i'm sure i'm not the only one lead to believe they are Chinese rubbish, as a species i think we have a tendency to judge a book by its cover. i'm not saying they are crap, but with a weak name you aren't going in on a good footing, even if your product is good, it's a big hurdle to jump.

goochy

Bill Cullen is not the distributor , he is running a dealership for them and doing PR ( might explain poor sales !)

The Harris group might be good at commercial vehicles but don't seem to be so great at car/ suv market ( they failed with kia in early 00's).

The Tivoli gets good reviews and is avail. with 4wd at keen price ( its much
nicer than Duster) however the rest of the range is poor and not priced keenly enough for people to get over their flaws.

J.pilkington

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

In the same way a new reg plate does, we'd rather be in crippling debt for a BMW than have people see us drive a Hyundai and think that that's all we can afford.

Hyundai are one of the best selling brands In Ireland

ofcork

Actually saw a 151 rexton yesterday still looked pretty much the same as the original.

goochy

Don't think theres anything wrong with how they look, Rexton looks well - subtle improvements over original but everyone says they aren't nice to drive.

colm_mcm

more ssangyongs than any other dealer doesn't really mean anything though.

Special Circumstances

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

the name is killing them. Its blatantly "made in China". that means a lot to the Irish motorist,

The looks of the original Rectum, Cry-on, Hideous (shudder) etc didn't do them any favours either!

JohnBoy26

goochy wrote: »

different importer I know and maybe they are priced more keenly up North than here compared to well known brands.
The Belfast SsangYong dealer has won an award for selling more vehicles than any other dealer in the Uk.
It seems that Northern and Uk motorists are more keen on budget brands than we down South are.

I know Dacia are doing well but the likes of Kia, Hyundai , lada and Proton were popular there long before they were here.

The way things are going for SsangYong down South , hes hard to see them having a long term future here.

The problem with ssang Yong isn't only the name but their product hasn't really improved that much over the years, they are still very much a budget brand.

The likes of Hyundai and KIA started off the same way but now are no longer budget brands. They are up their with the main stream big brands competition these days. You just have to look at any KIA or Hyundai from 10-15 years ago and compare it to their cars of today to see just how far they've come.

francis1978

I wonder does the popularity have any thing to do with the DVLA car sales/leasing ??

goochy

Come again?

francis1978

In the north (maybe UK wide) people with certain disabilities can apply for and recieve cars at lower prices than able bodied people, I recall seeing notices about the scheme in Honda, Ford and Vauxhaull garages. I do not know the full in's and outs of the scheme but it does result in additional car sales.

colm_mcm

Like motability?

I have noticed a lot of used cars in Northern Ireland are ex motability, not sure if it's because there are a lot of elderly ex army people in Northern Ireland compared to mainland Britain.

colm_mcm

Like motability?

I have noticed a lot of used cars in Northern Ireland are ex motability, not sure if it's because there are a lot of elderly ex army people in Northern Ireland compared to mainland Britain.

porsche boy

francis1978 wrote:

In the north (maybe UK wide) people with certain disabilities can apply for and recieve cars at lower prices than able bodied people, I recall seeing notices about the scheme in Honda, Ford and Vauxhaull garages. I do not know the full in's and outs of the scheme but it does result in additional car sales.

There is a similar scheme here, cars can be purchased minus VRT if you meet the criteria.
Ssangyong need to invest in a good car designer. About 10 years ago Kia/Hyundai poached a design lad from BMW if I recall correctly and their product has been improving in leaps and bounds since. It also helps that their quite reliable too.

VincePP

J.pilkington wrote: »

Hyundai are one of the best selling brands In Ireland

One of? In January they were number one.

VincePP

SSangyong only reappeared in this market last year after a few years of absence.

So no momentum whereas they've been continuously available in uk.

People like to see cars on the road before making a commitment, so its a hard slog for a few years - Hyundai and kia are prime examples who are both doing exceptionally well but it has taken years to get there. - Even I'm convinced and switching from 5 touring to kia sorento.

colm_mcm

porsche boy wrote: »

There is a similar scheme here, cars can be purchased minus VRT if you meet the criteria.
Ssangyong need to invest in a good car designer. About 10 years ago Kia/Hyundai poached a design lad from BMW if I recall correctly and their product has been improving in leaps and bounds since. It also helps that their quite reliable too.

The U.K. System is a lot easier accessed though, it's a bit like pcp in that you canhand back the car and don't have to arrange finance separately.
I think.


The ssangyongs just aren't cheap enough to gamble on. The tivoli is a decent looking machine and is said to be well screwed together. But when you can buy a Qashqai, why would you buy a tivoli.

goochy

The ssangyong musso of 1995 was designed by same brit who designed Bentley continental r . It was a good looking vehicle for its time.
the new koranda is designed by Italian company guigaro . Styling not the problem with it . Price and way it drives is.

colm_mcm

Ken Greenley also designed the Rodius though.


I actually thought the original korrando was a cool little thing. A bit like a Willys Jeep

circadian

colm_mcm wrote: »

Like motability?

I have noticed a lot of used cars in Northern Ireland are ex motability, not sure if it's because there are a lot of elderly ex army people in Northern Ireland compared to mainland Britain.

Motability is for anyone with an illness/disability that is still able to drive. It's more like a lease scheme, you get the car for 3 years and change to a new one after. The government pays the lease as part of a disability benefit.

Most cars available are small but you can pay a part of the lease for a bigger car. I think my dad paid £1200 or so for a 2.2 Insignia for 3 years. Loved the thing, I'm glad he got to enjoy a decent car before he passed.

Anyway I digress, I've always been interested in the Rexton, I didn't think they were budget cars at all but they are rare enough.

goochy

Yes agree about original koronda kind of cool like a wrangler. Harris has one in yard - not many new ssangyong there though . I think the current rodius - gran turismo ?? While not good looking is a big improvement but too expensive.
You wonder why they can't or won't price them as a budget brand , harris should have known that they need to be cheap to sell . Dacias aren't much to write home about but are priced so well it doesn't matter