The car firm formerly known as Ssangyong's first machine developed under new ownership is a coupe-SUV reworking of the Torres At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss the new KGM Actyon as a sleeker coupe version of the distinctive Torres SUV that launched last year. And there’s some truth to that: the machines are close in size and share a platform, powertrain and plenty of key design elements. But bosses from KG Mobility’s UK importer insist that their newest machine is far more significant. To understand why, you need a brief history of the car firm originally known as Dong-A Motor but best remembered in the UK as SsangYong. Since the Korean conglomerate that gave the firm that moniker sold off a controlling stake in 1997 the car firm has been variously controlled by Daewoo, SAIC and Mahindra, and has always struggled from a lack of investment and consistency.The KG Group, a large Korean chaebol with significant interests in steel and chemical production, bought Ssangyong Motors in mid-2022, and promptly rebranded it as KG Mobility. That occurred shortly after the Torres had launched in South Korea – nearly two years ahead of it reaching the UK. KGM hasn’t just been renamed since then: its new owner has invested significantly in it, giving it vital resources to fully develop a new line of machines.So much has changed in the two years since the Torres was first launched and, KGM, claims, much of that is reflected in what are claimed to be significant under-the-skin differences between that machine and the new Actyon. With those changes, KGM reckons it might have a machine able to serve as a credible alternative to the Kia Sportage in the lucrative C-segment SUV market and one able to win over new customers to the brand – especially priced at a competitive £36,996So can the Actyon live up to that billing, or will a first outing on UK roads confirm that the new machine is merely a Torres with a sleeker roofline?