KG Mobility, which sells vehicles here under the KGM SsangYong banner, has revealed its first electric ute.
The KGM SsangYong Musso EV has been revealed as a production version of the O100 electric ute concept from 2023, and it’ll go on sale in its Korean home market during the first quarter of this year.
KGM SsangYong Australia has confirmed it plans to bring the electric ute here, though it hasn’t provided launch timing. It also noted it may wear a different nameplate here.
For now, its parent company hasn’t provided any specifications for the electric ute.
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It says the Musso EV “has the operating economy of an electric vehicle, the original usability of a pickup truck, and a practical style, and can be customised in various styles”.
It’s being marketed in Korea under a new ute sub-brand called Musso. The Musso name hasn’t been used in Korea for some time, with what we know as the Musso ute called the Rexton Sports there.
KG Mobility says it “will continue the Musso tradition by developing and expanding a diverse portfolio of pickup lineups in the future”.
It has released just one image of the Musso EV, plus sketches of the future Musso lineup. Live imagery of the Musso EV has been shared on Korean website Autospy, however.
Images show front-end styling similar to the electric Torres EVX, already confirmed for a local launch.
That suggests this will share that SUV’s unibody underpinnings, instead of body-on-frame construction like the Musso ute.
Interesting styling details include unusual trim pieces above the wheel arches, a chunky sports bar-type treatment at the rear of the cab, and striking machined alloy wheels.
Overall, the design has changed little from the 2023 concept that previewed it.
Should the Musso EV share its electric powertrain with the Torres EVX, that would mean a single, front-mounted electric motor with 152kW of power and 339Nm of torque, mated with a 73.4kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery from BYD.
Image credit: Autospy
The Torres EVX has 462km of range on the WLTP cycle.
KG Mobility is boasting the Musso EV will not only be its first electric ute, but also the first electric ute from Korea – launching ahead of expected rivals from Hyundai and Kia.
The company formerly known as SsangYong introduced its first ute in 2002 with the Musso Sports, based on the Musso SUV.
The Musso name, first introduced in 1993, comes from the Korean word ‘muso’, meaning rhinoceros.
