SsangYong Chairman

SsangYong Chairman

Manufacturer	SsangYong Motor Company
Production	1997–present
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style	4-door sedan

The SsangYong Chairman is a full size luxury sedan made by the South Korean automaker SsangYong Motor Company. A long-wheelbase model is also available, and is favoured by some limousine operators in South Korea. In 2008, Chairman was renamed Chairman W to differentiate the new model from the older Chairman H, as both are still in production.

History

When it came out first to South Korean market in 1997, Chairman was a high-end executive sedan. Its manufacturer, SsangYong, was famous for its SUVs and RVs and Chairman has been its only sedan. The 1st generation Chairman was built on a 1980s Mercedes-Benz E-Class (known as the W124) platform, but styled to resemble a 1990s Mercedes-Benz S-Class (known as the W140).

Chairman H (1997-present)

Chairman H

Also called	Daewoo Chairman Pyeonghwa Zunma (North Korea)
Production	1997–present[1]
Assembly	Warsaw, Poland (FSO)[2]
Layout	FR layout
Engine	2.3 L M102.98 I4 2.8 L M104.94 I6 3.2 L M104.99 I6 3.6 L M104.941 I6 (2007-2008)
Transmission	5-speed automatic (5G-Tronic)
Wheelbase	2,900 mm (114.2 in)
Length	5,135 mm (202.2 in)
Width	1,825 mm (71.9 in)
Height	1,465 mm (57.7 in)
Related	Mercedes-Benz W124

SsangYong renamed pre-2008 Chairman model as Chairman H to differentiate from Chairman W. Chairman H kept same exterior, interior, engine, transmission and features as the previous models. In 2003, the Chairman received restyled front grille, front and rear headlights and improved interior assembly.

The 2005 Chairman H (although based on the old 1995 Mercedes-Benz W124) had a lot of electrical features for a car from that year and for a car of that price, including: heated and cooled cup holders, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction controls, illuminated "Chairman" signatures on the door scuff plates and the back seats are individually electrically controlled and can move backwards when the engine is turned off to improve access; the driver's seat and the steering wheel behave in a similar way.

Although sold globally, the Chairman H sold very poorly outside Korea, due to both poor reviews and a lack of SsangYong dealerships. This was in part rectified by labelling the car Daewoo in some countries, which also included the Daewoo corporate grille.

In 2011, the Chairman H was once again redesigned, still keeping its Mercedes-Benz design cues.^[3]

Currently, the Chairman H is only sold in South Korea.^[4]

Engines

Model	Availability	Engine	Displacement	Power
2 .3 I4 150	from debut	4-cylinder in-line Petrol	2,299 cc	110 kW (150 PS; 148 hp)
2 .8 I6 200	from debut	6-cylinder in-line Petrol	2,799 cc	145 kW (197 PS; 194 hp)
3 .2 I6 220	from debut	6-cylinder in-line Petrol	3,199 cc	162 kW (220 PS; 217 hp)
3 .6 I6 280	from 2007	6-cylinder in-line Petrol	3,598 cc	205 kW (279 PS; 275 hp)

Gallery

• 

  Chairman H pre-facelift

• 

  Chairman H pre-facelift rear

• 

  Facelifted Chairman H rear

• 

  Daewoo Chairman

• 

  Redesigned Chairman H at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show

Chairman W (2008-present)

Chairman W

Also called	Roewe 950
Production	2008-present
Layout	FR layout
Engine	3.2 L M104.99 I6 3.6 L M104.941 I6 5.0 L M113 E50 V8
Transmission	7-speed automatic (7G-Tronic)
Wheelbase	2,970 mm (116.9 in), 3,270 mm (128.7 in) (LWB ver.)
Length	5,110 mm (201.2 in) 5,410 mm (213 in) (LWB ver.)
Width	1,895 mm (74.6 in)
Height	1,495 mm (58.9 in), 1,500 mm (59.1 in) (LWB ver.)

SsangYong developed their own all-new flagship Chairman W, New Chairman with V8 5-litre engine and 7G-Tronic of Mercedes-Benz. The Chairman W is derived from the SsangYong WZ concept car.

The 'W' stands for 'World Class.'^[5]

Chairman W is offered in six trims with two engines, a limo version, and an additional AWD 4-Tronic (Mercedes-Benz 4Matic). XGi360, once used for New Chairman, is transferred to the entry model with a six-cylinder engine, and the 5-liter V8 Mercedes-Benz M113 engine and the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission (the largest V8 engine produced in South Korea^[6]) are applied to two high-end models, VVIP and the long-wheel-base version. It has an electronic air suspension system with a rebound coil that helps reduce noise and vibration, as well as an extended rear passenger space^[7] and the front and rear both have their own screen to control the car's entertainment system, similar to Chrysler's MyGig.

The Chairman W is the first Korean luxury sedan to apply a four-wheel drive system, a feature common in high-end European sedans.^[7]

Engines

Model	Name	Motor	Displacement	Power	Torque	Consumption (km/l)	Top speed
3 .2 I6	XGi320	6-cylinder in-line, Petrol	3,199 cc	165.5 kW (225 PS; 222 hp) at 6,600 rpm	296 N·m (218 lb·ft) at 4,600 rpm	8.1	250 km/h (155 mph)
3 .6 I6	XGi360	6-cylinder in-line, Petrol	3,598 cc	184 kW (250 PS; 247 hp) at 6,600 rpm	343 N·m (253 lb·ft) at 4,000 rpm	7.8	250 km/h (155 mph)
5 .0 V8	XGi500	8-cylinder in V, Petrol	4,966 cc	225 kW (306 PS; 302 hp) at 5,600 rpm	n a	7.3	250 km/h (155 mph)

Gallery

• 

  Chairman W CW700 rear.

References

1. ^ "INSIDE JoongAng Daily". Joongangdaily.joins.com. 2010-03-24. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2918262. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
2. ^ "UkrAVTO Corporation. FSO". Ukravto.ua. http://www.ukravto.ua/eng/production_fso.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-23. 
3. ^ Tim Beissmann (2011-04-08). "2011 Ssangyong Chairman H unveiled in Seoul". CarAdvice.com.au. http://www.caradvice.com.au/114282/2011-ssangyong-chairman-h-unveiled-in-seoul/. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
4. ^ "쌍용자동차" (in (Korean)). Smotor.com. http://www.smotor.com/kr/showroom/sr_6.jsp. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
5. ^ See SsangYong Motors' Official Site.
6. ^ "The Car Web: Ssangyong Chairman W: The Launch". The-car-web.blogspot.com. 2008-02-23. http://the-car-web.blogspot.com/2008/02/ssangyong-chairman-w-launch.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "INSIDE JoongAng Daily". Joongangdaily.joins.com. 2009-10-01. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2910758. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 

External links

• SsangYong Chairman homepage
• Global Auto Index entry
• Drive overview
• A SsangYong Chairman enthusiast's site