8:12 am, December 21, 2023
SsangYong Motors UK has been renamed KGM Motors UK with immediate effect.
The move follows the acquisition of SsangYong last year by South Korea’s KG Group, following an attempt by Edison Motors to buy it early last year falling through after Edison failed to fully pay for the manufacturer, which was saddled with heavy debts.
Seoul’s bankruptcy court chose KG Group as the preferred bidder for SsangYong in June 2022 and gave the green light to its debt payment plans two months later.
SsangYong finally exited its court receivership in November 2022 and adopted the name KG Mobility – abbreviated to KGM – in March this year. KGM has a 61% majority shareholding.
Although the name has changed, the winged logo is staying, but a new global slogan has been revealed – Go Different. KGM – which the manufacturer said reflected ‘a unified vision to inspire customers to embrace innovation and break away from the ordinary’.
Kevin Griffin, managing director of KGM Motors UK, said: ‘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 was originally founded as Ha Dong-Hwan Automobile Manufacturing in January 1954, before changing its name to Dong-A Motors in 1977 and becoming the SsangYong Motor Company in 1988.
