Ssangyong Motors Co., the fourth largest automaker based in Korea and owned by India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, will launch its new sport utility vehicle (SUV) Rexton Sports in Europe with hope that the new pickup truck can help it expand its footprint in the global market.

Ssangyong Motors said on Tuesday it will showcase its Rexton Sports pickup truck at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show before it officially rolls out the fresh SUV model in the European auto market. The annual international motor show will kick off in Geneva, Switzerland next month.

The company pins high hopes on the Rexton Sports that has already taken more than 10,000 pre-orders just a month after its release in Korea in January. It is also confident that the new pickup truck would gain attention from European consumers after its full-size SUV G4 Rexton released in Europe last year has received positive reviews in European countries including the UK and Spain, according to the Korean automaker. The Rexton Sports has the same interior design as G4 Rexton.

The company will disclose detailed launch schedules for the pickup truck during the Geneva Motor Show next month.

At the upcoming motor show, Ssangyong Motors will also unveil its e-SIV (electric-Smart Interface Vehicle) concept for the first time. It is the third model of the company’s SIV series lineup.

The company has been developing C300, a new model of the compact-sized Korando, based on the SIV-1 concept that was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013. The company is also expected to add an electric vehicle model of the C300 after it launches the C300 next year.

“We’ll present our EV strategies focused on e-SIV at the motor show, along with future mobility plans for connected cars and self-driving technologies,” said an official at Ssangyong Motors.

By Kim Jung-hwan and Lee Ha-yeon

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