[THE INVESTOR] SsangYong Motor, the local unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, unveiled the 2018 Korando Turismo model during a press conference in the Sungdong-gu district of Seoul on Jan. 3.

The upgraded Korando Turismo incorporates a new grille and front. This is the first time that SsangYong Motor has made changes to the exterior design of the Korando Turismo, which was launched in 2013.

“With our new model, we aim to sell 1,000 cars per month and reach our goal of selling 12,000 units a year,” said SsangYong marketing head Lee Seok-woo. The target is more than three times the 3,746 units of Korando Turismo sold last year.

“Until now, we have been weak on marketing,” Lee said. “With more aggressive moves, we think that it won’t be impossible to reach our sales goal.”

The price of the new model ranges from 28.3 million won (US$26,600) to 52.2 million won.

As for whether the company will export the 2018 Korando Turismo, the company said it has plans but it will take a few months.

“Like the G4 Rexton that was launched in May last year but started to be exported in August, it will take some time,” a spokesman for SsangYong Motor told The Investor.

On the previous day, SsangYong Motor revealed its new sport utility vehicle Rexton Sports and started receiving preorders.

The company’s consecutive launches aim to take advantage of rising consumer demand here. SsangYong Motor sold 100,677 cars in Korea last year, the biggest amount sold by the company since 2003, while its overseas sales dropped 29.2 percent on-year.

SsangYong Motor is the fourth-biggest carmaker in the domestic market, trailing GM Korea, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)