SsangYong Musso

SsangYong Musso

Manufacturer	SsangYong Motor Company(Korea) Morattab (Iran) TagAZ (Russia) Mekong Auto Corporation (Vietnam)
Also called	SsangYong Musso Libero SsangYong MJ Daewoo Musso Mercedes-Benz Musso TagAZ Road Partner Morattab Musso
Production	1993–2005 (SsangYong/Daewoo) 1997–2005 (Mekong Auto) 2003–present (Morattab) 2008–present (TagAZ)
Assembly	Lublin, Poland (DMP)[1] Jakarta, Indonesia (Indobuana Autoraya)
Successor	Daewoo Musso Mercedes-Benz M-Class SsangYong Rexton SsangYong Kyron SsangYong Actyon Sports (for Musso Sports)
Class	Large 4x4
Body style	4-door SUV
Engine	2.3 L I4[2] 2.9 L I5 Diesel (optional SST turbo in Australia) 3.2 L I6
Related	SsangYong Musso Sports
Designer	Ken Greenley

The SsangYong Musso is a SUV manufactured by the South Korean automobile manufacturer SsangYong Motor Company, from 1993 to 2005. "Musso" means Rhinocerous in Korean.^[3]

First produced in 1993, the car was available with either a petrol 3.2 litre inline six cylinder Mercedes-Benz M104 engine, a Mercedes-Benz M111 engine 2.3 litre inline four cylinder petrol engine, or a Mercedes-Benz OM602 engine five cylinder, 2.9 litre diesel engine. The car was designed by Briton Ken Greenley and received the Auto Design Award from the Birmingham Auto Show hosted in 1994 and 1996. Also known for its off-road abilities, the vehicle won the Pharaohs Rally of Egypt for 4WD vehicles in October 1994. A facelifted version has been available since 1998.^[4]

The Musso seats five people and its wheels are fit for off-road driving, similar to its smaller sibling, the Korando. The SsangYong Musso Sports, a Musso variant with a truck bed, was released in later years.

The Musso is available in Russia as TagAZ Road Partner, produced by TagAZ in Taganrog, Russia (since 2008) and also in Iran as Musso, produced by Moratab Khodro Co. (since 2003). It was sold in Vietnam by Mekong Auto Corporation from 1997 to 2005.

Mercedes-Benz Musso

As SsangYong had a technology-sharing deal with Mercedes-Benz at the time, the decision was made to sell the Musso as a badge-engineered Mercedes-Benz model in some markets. This allowed SsangYong to gain footholds in new markets without having to build their own infrastructure (utilizing existing Mercedes-Benz networks) while giving Mercedes a competitor in the then-booming SUV market.^[5]

Gallery

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  1993–98 Ssangyong Musso rear view

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  1998–present Ssangyong Musso front view

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  1998–present Ssangyong Musso rear view

References

1. ^ "Historia Daewoo Motor Polska". Daewoo.Lublin.pl. http://www.daewoo.lublin.pl/historia.html. Retrieved 2010-11-01. 
2. ^ "Car Specifications - Ssangyong Musso". CarBuddy.com.au. http://www.carbuddy.com.au/car/values/specification/default.aspx?pg=2&mk=SSANGYONG&md=MUSSO. Retrieved 2011-08-10. 
3. ^ "Rhino power on wheels". bNET. 1998-11-16. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn6207/is_19981116/ai_n24902004/. Retrieved 2011-08-10. 
4. ^ "Deawoo Musso specs". Ssangyong 4WD Club of Australia. http://www.ssangyong4wdclubofaustralia.org/Musso/deawoo_musso_specs.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
5. ^ "Musso-Mercedes match was a rocky road". Drive.com.au. 2000-05-18. http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=8548&vf=1. Retrieved 2009-09-19. 

External links

Media related to SsangYong Musso at Wikimedia Commons