This South Korean Automaker Has Jeep DNA

• The concept sketch of the SsangYong X200 previews the South Korean automaker's future SUV offering.

• The Korando of the 1980s was based on an older Jeep design, which an earlier South Korean automaker had assembled since the 1960s.

• The X200 appears to preview a compact SUV with styling cues referencing the 1990's Korando and other SsangYong designs.

South Korean automaker SsangYong is not exactly a household name in the U.S., but the company has produced a sketch of something that will be fairly recognizable here in the states. That something is a preview of the X200, slated to be its next SUV model, and along with a sketch shared of the sport utility SsangYong revealed an American-sounding name for the design direction.

"The design of the new X200 is based on SsangYong’s new design philosophy 'Powered by Toughness,' and follows on from our recently announced J100 mid-sized electric car," a spokesperson for the automaker said. "With this new design, the company is showcasing its new product identity to communicate a powerful and modern SUV while drawing on the inherited values its authentic heritage."

The admittedly sharp-looking design aside, we're more surprised that no U.S. ad agency has successfully pitched the tagline "Powered by Toughness" to a stateside automaker, because it sounds exactly like something you might hear in a TV spot for a pickup truck here in the states.

Clearly, there are some Jeep styling cues here, including the blacked-out front fascia tapering toward the bottom in a V-shaped pattern, but rather than seven vertical slats there are five diamonds between the round headlights. Rhombus-shaped inlets below the headlights are popular among a number of automakers at the moment, including Mitsubishi, while the angular wing above the front and rear wheelarches are another modern theme, one that works particularly well in this sketch