Ssangyong Motor changes name to KG Mobility

South Korea’s Ssangyong Motor Co., whose new owner is KG Group, has renamed itself KG Mobility, its first name change in 35 years.

With its new moniker, the carmaker plans to accelerate development of future automotive-related technologies and enter new fields such as used cars and specially equipped vehicles.

Ssangyong Motor on Wednesday said it approved the plan on the name change at a shareholders’ meeting held at its headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Launched in 1954 as Ha Dong-hwan Motor Workshop, it changed its name to Dong-A Motors in 1977 and again to Ssangyong Motor in 1988. 

The KG logo will be attached to the Torres EVX, an electric-powered sports utility vehicle to be released this year.

The name “KG Mobility” conveys the meaning of going beyond traditional car manufacturing and focusing on development of future related technologies such as those for electric vehicles, autonomous driving and connectivity.

The company also introduced its new brand slogan “Go different. KG Mobility.”

KG Mobility will also enter the used car market. The company will buy its vehicles five years old with up to 100,000 km and sell them as certified used models after conducting performance inspections and repair. After forming a sales and maintenance organization by the first half of the year, it will launch this business in the second.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com