New Chinese Luxury Sedan to Utilize Mercedes V-8 and 7 Speed Transmission

Ssangyong Motor Co Ltd names its new premium sedan the Chairman W and discloses it is powered by a 5.0L V-8 engine, the largest passenger-car engine in Korea.

Both the engine and 7-speed automatic transmission will be imported from Mercedes-Benz in Germany, Ward's is told.

Ssangyong, which primarily is a light-truck maker that became a unit of China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. in 2006, has enjoyed a long-standing licensing agreement with Mercedes.

The Chairman W, the auto maker’s first new model in 10 years, also will be available with a 3.2L inline 6-cyl. mill produced by Ssangyong, a company spokesman says.

The luxury sedan will go on sale in South Korea next March, with the reported goal of selling 20,000-units in the domestic market annually and 10,000 abroad, primarily in China.