SsangYong Chairman 600

photo name.jpg 3KB ^{Chairman
CM 600}
32 photos below optimized for 800 x 600 screen resolution..........................................377KB

Photo: SsangYong

According to German car magazine "Auto Bild" the SsangYong Chairman is based on the platform of the 1984-1995 Mercedes-Benz W124 E-Class sedans. Chassis, axles, steering, brakes and engines are purely Mercedes, the rest being modified: The body is lengthened by 25 centimetres. Photo: SsangYong


		All four photos: SsangYong

.
A Korean Benz? from American car magazine "Road & Track"
SsangYong is one of the lesser known Korean manufacturers, but it has a well known European
partner in Mercedes-Benz, with whom it has had technical links for some time. It builds Mercedes' faithful inline-6 under license and it uses it to good effect in the Musso, a big SUV styled in Britain
and currently one of the fastest of its kind.
Now the Koreans have gone even further, using not only a Mercedes-derived engine, but also a
Stuttgart chassis. The result is the Chairman,a 143-mph ((230 km/h)) luxury car that was an instant success when it went onsale in Korea late last year.
Based on the floorpan of the previous-generation E-Class, the Chairman uses the Mercedes-designed
and SsangYong-built 3,2-liter 24-valve inline-6 that produces 220bhp, delivered through Mercedes-Benz's latest 5-speed automatic. The car boasts traction control as well as a multilink rear suspension and electronic shockadsorber control.
The interior of the 16.5-ft.-long ((5,05 m, see graphics above)) Chairman is equipped to full luxury standards, living up to its price of $66.000 in Korea.
Developed over a four-year period of collaboration between SsangYong and Mercedes, the Chairman represents an investment of $496 million. Designed for Far Eastern markets, the new car will also be
sold in Eastern Europe. It will not - no doubt at the request of Stuttgart - be sold in Western markets where SsangYong sells its off-roaders.
The temptation of a bargain-price "E-Class" might be too tempting for the taxi drivers of Belgium,
Holland and Scandinavia. I.N.
End of article - as ususal MBEP webmaster's remarks ((blabla)), but (bla) belongs to original text.
Thanks to Alex A. for sending the article!

Graphics: SsangYong

All dimensions in metres. Note the excellent ground clearance. The 600l's wheelbase is 30 cm longer.

Below are photos from SsangYong`s Korean website showing details.

Exterior

Proudly SsangYong shows the
airflow above the body .
.. ... photo cpillar.jpg 5KB

and the shape of the c-pillar smoothly running
out on the trunk line Both photos: SsangYong

Luxury SsangYong heading here? from British car magazine "Auto Express"

Photo:Auto Express Additional background retouching by MBEP webmaster
Things could really be looking up for SsangYong`s luxurious executive saloon, the Chairman, shown at last year`s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Despite strong insistence from shareholder Mercedes-Benz that the E-class-based Chairman should not be sold in Europe, an alert reader caught the new model undergoing evaluation tests in the Midlands.
The spyshot would suggest that something is afoot - and

not necessarily on behalf of SsangYong in the UK. According to sources at Daewoo, the Chairman is set to be redesigned and rebadged as Daewoo, following the firm`s buy-out of SsangYong in Korea. It will form a stop-gap model between the Leganza and Daewoo's forthcoming luxury car project, codenamed A100. With the aquisition of SsangYong, Daewoo has put its A100 project on hold, waiting for the Korean fiancial crisis to pass before resuming. The rebadged Chairman saloon is undergoing development at the UK's MIRA test-development facility.
Thanks to Colin from the UK for sending the article and the photo!

Interior

...

center console between
rear seats Both photos: SsangYong

The interior is very luxurious, much more than it was on most W124's, its look enhanced by

Both photos: SsangYong

fold-down make-up mirrors and the usage of the trunk with golf bags

Photo: SsangYong

the instrument cluster richly equipped but different from W124.

W124-like details
Those of us familiar with the MB W124-Series will notice the exact copy of details from it like

All three photos: SsangYong

the warning triangle, the windshield-wipers and the firewall between engine and passenger compartment

All three photos: SsangYong

the door-handles, the door sills' name-plates and the lever for the automatic transmission

Both photos: SsangYong

or even the car-jack and of course not to forget SsangYong's variant of the hood star!

Body Structure
Also SsangYong proudly shows safety features like the

All three photos: SsangYong

chassis frame absorbing impact energy and the four airbags for the front

Photo: SsangYong

The body structure is something SsangYong has paid much attention to. W124 experts easily will
identify the platform of the most successful MB so far.

And finally here's the explanation of the meaning of "SsangYong":

SsangYong means 'twin dragons.' In Korean legend these mythical creatures take on many forms, but are always associated with royalty, power and strength - an appropriately potent symbol for SsangYong.
To learn more about it click on the dragons
Graphics and graphics text: SsangYong

Except where stated otherwise all above photos, graphics and background image are from
SsangYong`s Korean website and the photo texts by MBEP webmaster.
Special thanks to Colin and Alex A. for sending the articles!

W124 E-Class from Korea

Translation of an article from German car magazine "Auto Bild" from 1997

Photo: AutoBild

Mercedes from Korea - The second life of the old E-Class (W124) Do you dream of a genuine Rolex?
Not later than the first trouble with the cheap imitation it`s clear to everybody: There`s nothing like the origin. Solid, reliable, valuable - the Mercedes among the wristwatches. But what if the double is as
good as the origin? A fareast-Mercedes for example. With Stuttgart-technics and Stuttgart-engines.
But made in Korea.

Photo and photo text: AutoBild

The rear being lengthened and the rear window different to late W124.
...
That is no fairy-tale. SsangYong manufactures a real Daimler at a discount price. That works, because Mercedes has a share in SsangYong. When the old E-Class (W124) was discontinued two years ago, Stuttgart gave them the go-ahead for the licensed manufacture. Only condition: The Korea-Mercedes
has to have a different look. Result: SsangYong smoothed the body a bit and lengthened it 25 cm.
So the old E-Class grew to over five metres - real S-Class format. So the new luxury sedan appropriately
is called "Chairman". Chassis, axles, steering,brakes and engines are purely Mercedes, the rest being modified.The big SsangYong will be driven by the 3,2 litre six cylinder engine with 220 hp - also a Mercedes-Benz license. A 2,8 litre will follow later on. And what does Stuttgart say now? Seemingly
shocked by the brilliant shape of the body they not only forbid the premiere at the Seoul Motor Show but also explicitly the export to Europe. So starting in the autumn the Chairman comes to Korea only. But maybe we will see it on our roads sometime. As the first Mercedes with slit-eyes.
End of article - translation by MBEP webmaster

Photo: Auto Katalog 97/98 Sorry for low quality due to very small original

Note antenna for GSP on the back as well as SsangYong emblem in the grille as well as on the hood and M-Class like headlamps.

Personal comment by MBEP webmaster:
In my very personal opinion the most remarkable sentence is:
"Seemingly shocked by the brilliant shape of the body they (Mercedes-Benz) not only forbid the premiere at the Seoul Motor Show but also explicitly the export to Europe".
The Chairman - a box on the ears of MB`s designers?

Last revised technically: Oct. 25th '99 Visits since June 2nd '98.

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