SsangYong Tivoli facelifted, but not coming to Australia

At eight years old, the KG Mobility Tivoli is an automotive veteran. To keep it looking fresh, it’s made a second trip to the plastic surgeon to banish most traces of the SsangYong.

Unfortunately the revised Tivoli isn’t on the cards for Australia, with a spokesperson telling CarExpert there are “no plans to reintroduce Tivoli in the near future”.

KG Mobility, as the automaker is now known in South Korea, revealed an updated Tivoli on its Instagram feed at the end of last week.

Up front there’s a new bumper featuring a larger, and sharply defined lower air intake with a prominent red sash on one side. The intake is flanked by a stack of a three fog light pods on both sides.

Above this is a slim upper grille with a subtle Tivoli word mark on one side, and three little ports on the other. While the headlight cut-outs seem to be the same as before, the graphics are new.

At the rear the changes are less dramatic. The Tivoli branding has been moved up to the middle of the tailgate, while the lower section of the bumper has repositioned reflector units, and a tougher-looking centre section with a honeycomb pattern.

Gone from both ends is SsangYong’s old antler-shaped logo, although KG hasn’t removed the old emblem from the centre of the steering wheel.

The interior features an updated infotainment display, which now lives in a glossy housing that’s projected a centimetre or two forward from the rest of the dashboard.

Underneath there’s a new climate control area with plenty of piano black plastic and capacitive buttons.

When the Tivoli was released back in 2015, it was meant to usher in a new era of prosperity and stability under new owners Mahindra.

It’s 2023, and the Tivoli is still kicking around, but Mahindra cut SsangYong loose at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a trip through bankruptcy and one failed merger with bus firm Edison, SsangYong has found a new home as part of the KG conglomerate.

Keen to shed the baggage of SsangYong’s troubled history, the automaker has been rebranded KG Mobilty, at least in its homeland.

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