FORCED TO CHANGE NAME SSANGYONG IMPORTER


assadone Automotive Group, the parent company of Ssangyong Motors UK, has lost is battle to retain the Ssangyong name for the vehicles it imports to the UK,


B


which include the Musso pick-up truck. Following its takeover by the KGM


Group in August 2022, the Korean manufacturer Ssangyong Motor Group confirmed it would rebrand as KGM


Mobility in its domestic market and in December 2023 it announced the UK importership had changed its name to KGM Motors UK.


Ssangyong Motors UK, alongside other European importers, had said it wanted to stick with the Ssangyong name it has been marketing the brand under since 2011. In June last year, Ssangyong Motors UK’s managing director Kevin Griffin told What Van? ““We would like to stay with it [the Ssangyong name]. All of Europe is fighting against it [the re-brand], it takes a long time to establish a name.” Aside from the potential name change however, Griffin stressed the Korean manufacturer’s change of ownership had had no impact on the UK importership.


“The contract rolled over from Ssangyong to KG,” he said. “We are owned solely by Bassadone.” Following the announcement of the


UK re-brand, Griffin said: “KGM Global has changed its name for the first time in 35-years as it transforms into a brand for the future.


“This is an exciting period for us


all in terms of unveiling a refreshed, modern brand identity alongside the development and launch of impressive products which utilise new technologies. “We have embraced the change here in the UK and we will continue to grow as a proud and respected SUV and pick-up truck brand.”


KGM Motors UK has adopted the global slogan: ‘Go different. KGM’. The manufacturer says its focus is on pioneering technologies such as electrification, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence while moving away from the perception of Ssangyong as a value for money brand.


The winged Ssangyong logo is retained on the new KGM badge.


ENTERS STATUTE BOOK T


he government’s ZEV mandate has come into force.


As previously announced, the mandate introduces targets for zero- emission vehicle sales each year by van and car manufacturers, increasing year-on-year until 2030, with non- compliance potentially incurring fi nes. For vans, the targets start at 10% of each manufacturer’s sales in 2024, and rise to 16% in 2025, 24% in 2026, 34% in 2027, 46% in 2028, 58% in 2029, and 70% in 2030.


Compliance will not be assessed by directly monitoring vehicle sales. Instead,


manufacturers will receive ‘allowances’, permitting them to sell up to a certain number of non-ZEVs per year (the inverse of the ZEV target), spending an allowance for every non-ZEV they sell. These allowances are tradeable, so manufacturers that sell more ZEVs than required will be able to sell allowances to manufacturers which do not meet the targets.


Between 2024 and 2026, manufacturers that fall behind will also be allowed to ‘catch up’ in later years, and less strenuous measures are in place for manufacturers selling fewer


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than 2,500 vehicles per year. The ZEV percentages will have to reach 100% by 2035, when the government’s ban on new petrol and diesel car and van sales is scheduled to come into force. Technology and Decarbonisation


minister Anthony Browne claimed: “Alongside us having spent more than £2bn in the transition to electric vehicles, our zero-emission vehicle mandate will further boost the economy and support manufacturers to safeguard skilled British jobs in the automotive industry.”


Reacting to the implementation of the mandate, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The industry is investing billions in decarbonisation and recognises the importance of the ZEV mandate in delivering net zero.


“Delivering a buoyant EV market means giving all consumers the confi dence to invest, which requires an attractive package of fi scal incentives, mandated infrastructure targets and a consistent message that encourages drivers to switch now.”


ZEV MANDATE


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