In 1986, Keohwa Motors was acquired, a company that specialised in the manufacturer of jeeps under the Korando brand name. Not long after this acquisition, SsangYong Motors began investing in automobile manufacturing.

The companies' first compact 4 wheel drive SUV was the Korando Family, which was also the first ever SUV released in Korea. This marked the era of the SUV in the country and since the release, SsangYong Motors was able to establish its reputation for leadership, quality and innovation in the SUV arena.

It did not take too long after that for the big players in the market to be gunning for the company. In the early portion of the 1990's, Mercedes-Benz AG invested in SsangYong Motors to form an alliance as to maintain exclusive access to the company's technologies and distribution. This resulted to the production of light commercial vehicles, diesel engines, luxury passenger cars and petrol engines. With the help of Mercedes-Benz AG's connections, SsangYong Motors was able to release its technological competence to a wider scope of the market.

It was in 1993 when the company released the used Ssangyong Musso, an SUV that is known for its unique design and its astounding performance on the road. In 1994, an engine plant located in Changwon was opened, with it being the designated location to manufacture SsangYong Motor's very own engines. In 1995, with the help and co-development of Mercedes-Benz, the used SsangYong Istana was released. One year later, the much more advanced used Ssangyong Korando was launched.

However, like many other Asian car companies back in the late 1990's, SsangYong Motors suffered the effects of the Asian economic downturn. It then merged with the Daewoo Group in 1998. As soon as the economic crisis improved, the company divested itself from Daewoo and once again became an independent player in the industry.

Now flying solo the company went on to restructure the whole corporation, launching new management campaigns that promoted new designs and the importance of developing R&D capabilities. The fruits of SsangYong Motor's labour quickly reaped, with the launch of the new and used SsangYong Rexton in 2001 as well as the new / used SsangYong Chairman in 2003. Since then, the company has been consistently improving in terms of design, style and innovation.

Popular used Ssangyong cars of today include the used Ssangyong Rexton, the used Ssangyong Rodius and the used Ssangyong Kyron - all of which have received decent feedback from drivers and critics alike.