Ssangyong Motor Co., the South Korean unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, launched a diesel version of the Tivoli, its best-selling compact SUV, Monday, following the launch of the gasoline-powered model in January. 

The company has sought to debut the diesel-powered Tivoli, armed with better fuel efficiency and performance than the gasoline model, within the year in its effort to continue the growth momentum of Tivoli.

Backed by the success of gasoline-powered Tivoli cars, the nation’s smallest carmaker saw sales grow 5 percent on-year last month, selling 12,372 units.

“The Tivoli diesel is optimized for the Korean driving environment and so offers a dynamic driving experience to local drivers, while maintaining the same features as the gasoline model,’” the company said in a press release.

With a 1.6 liter euro 6 e-XDi160 engine, the combined fuel economy of the Tivoli diesel reaches 15.3 kilometers per liter for the automatic transmissions. SsangYong’s new diesel compact SUV has 115 metric horsepower and a maximum torque of 30.6 kilogram-meters at 1,500-2,500 revolutions per minute.

The price of a Tivoli diesel ranges from 20.45 million won ($18,200) to 24.95 million won, depending on options.

(jyseo@heraldcorp.com)