Ssangyong Motor Company began in 1963 as a merger of two other Korean manufacturers. At this time it was known as Hadonghwan Motor Company, the same name under which one of the former companies had been producing jeeps and military vehicles for the US Army since 1954.
The company soon began to specialise in buses and other large vehicles such as fire engines as well as developing more jeeps. In 1977 the name was changed to Donga Motor Company, before a takeover by the Ssangyong Business Group in 1988 gave the brand its current name.
By then the Korando had been produced and exported worldwide and experienced success both commercially and in competition. A new version of this model was introduced in 1997, running for two years before being released under the Daewoo badge for a further two years until 2001. That year Ssangyong developed an upgraded edition which was sold until 2006.
Several alliances were established between the company and Mercedes-Benz in the early 1990s, mostly with a view to developing engines. This alliance led to the creation of the Musso in 1993 - adding to Ssangyong’s range of sports utility vehicles.
In 1998 the Daewoo Group took control of the brand following difficulties caused by the Asian financial crisis and rebadged several models. However Daewoo’s own troubles led to its withdrawal after just two years and Ssangyong went on to merge with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation after the Chinese manufacturer purchased a 49% share in 2004.
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