Korean carmaker Ssangyong has facelifted its Rodius crossover SUV. The previous Rodius was often ridiculed for its styling – so much so that a British group named it the “Ugliest Car on the Road” in 2005.
Ssangyong, an unfamiliar name to most North Americans, is actually the fourth-largest Korean carmaker, although the group is 51% owned by China’s Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation. Through a partnership with Daimler Chrysler , Ssangyong uses older Mercedes-Benz hardware, although clearly the Korean group uses its own styling.
The Rodius features a 3.2 liter six-cylinder gas engine and a 2.7 liter five-cylinder diesel. Ssangyong’s lead designer is Ken Greeley, a former designer at the Royal College of Art in London.
