2023 SsangYong Musso: SUV said to reclaim badge

The 2023 SsangYong Musso could return to its roots, with a new report suggesting the model is set to become an SUV once again.

While SsangYong continues to sell the Musso in Australia, the badge was retired in its native country of South Korea in 2005, where the ute is sold as a Rexton Sports Khan.

Local publication Daum cites a recent study showing Koreans would like to see the Musso nameplate make a return, with an expectation the J100 concept car will adopt the moniker when it’s unveiled in its production guise in July 2022.

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The Rexton will remain as SsangYong’s range-topping model, while the new-generation Musso will sit below it as a mid-size SUV – rumoured to be getting some off-road capabilities to match its rugged looks.

The J100 will follow the Korando E-Motion – the carmaker’s first all-electric model – which will launch in South Korea in the first quarter of the year. As reported by Wheels earlier this month, the E-Motion will be coming to Australia in early 2022 for evaluation by the company's local arm.

The Korando E-Motion is the first of five electric models planned by 2025, with the J100 likely to be a candidate for a zero-emissions powertrain – possibly named the Musso E-Motion.

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It’s all part of a ‘corporate rehabilitation’ for SsangYong, after filing for bankruptcy one year ago. A group of investors led by Edison Motors was successful in its takeover offer of US$260 million (AU$350m) in October, however the offer was adjusted down to US$256 million in recent weeks following closer scrutiny of the organisation’s accounts.

The Seoul Rehabilitation Court is overseeing the process, with SsangYong required to submit a feasibility plan to prove it can overcome its financial woes by March 1, 2022.

If the J100 does end up being badged as the Musso, it means SsangYong's ute could be forced to undergo a name change in the Australian market.