CAR makers sited around the Pacific Rim are increasingly punching above their weight in the British market, as ably demonstrated by sister Korean firms Kia and Hyundai.

And there's more to come - from South Korea's SsangYong, and Malaysia's Proton.

There two marques have not yet made it big in Britain, but that could all be about to change. SsangYong, in the showroom doldrums here for quite a while, has just relaunched itself as a brand, with better things planned for its Kyron, Rodius and Rexton models.

Proton, on the other hand, has been steadily achieving a greater market share thanks in part to street-smart superminis the Savvy and Satria Neo, and now brings a new saloon to these shores.

SsangYong's big selling point is that its Kyron Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), Rodius 4x4 and Rexton people carrier models come with better equipment and more attractive prices than their main rivals, and there is now three years' free servicing on all of them.

For anyone not familiar with these South Korean motors, here's a brief insight:

  • Kyron - There are six of these highly capably SUVs on sale in the UK, and most of them use a clean, lean, 2.0-litre, turbocharged diesel engine, and offer two- or four-wheel drive. They are here to compete with the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and Chevrolet Captiva, and are now priced from just £14,995 - previously, they cost from £17,995.

For true off-road ability, there is a 2.7-litre diesel flagship Kyron, the SPR, a permanent 4x4 that wants for very little and costs £22,495.

  • Rexton - All three Rexton variants get the 2.7-litre turbo diesel for in-the-rough power and towing performance, together with torque-on-demand permanent four-wheel drive. They are priced from £19,995 to £24,995 - a real bargain among the genuinely capably off-roaders. The top-specification SPR, for example, gets every luxury, with the only options a rear roof spoiler and Kenwood touch-screen audio and navigation systems.
  • Rodius - A people carrier that is unrivalled for space and equipment at the price, and there are four models, one of them a 4x4. No other seven-seater gets the generous luggage space the Rodius has, and all versions are again powered by that 2.7-litre diesel. Competitive pricing pitches them from £14,995 to £19,995.

Koelliker UK is the firm now importing and distributing SsangYong models, and one of the motoring world's livewires, Paul Williams is at the helm.

Managing director Mr Williams, 46, has an impressive track record - he was managing director of Kia Motors UK from 2002 to 2006, when he steered the company from a sales volume of 12,000 to 42,000 units, and as director of sales and marketing at Mitsubishi Motors UK, he drove car sales from 18,000 to 26,000 units from 1999 to 2002.

He spent eight years with Inchcape-owned Daihatsu UK and as managing director, enjoyed three consecutive years of record volumes and growth. Mr Williams has also held sales posts with Mercedes-Benz UK, Nissan Motor Manufacturing in Sunderland and Peugeot-Talbot.

Proton, meanwhile, continues a slow, but sure, upward sales climb with the introduction of a new saloon model the Gen-2 Persona.

This four-door saloon is based on Proton's popular five-door hatchback, and is powered by a 1.6-litre, 110bhp Lotus-engineered engine.

Its top speed is 118mph, and there is a choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic transmission.

Like the Gen-2 hatchback, the Persona saloon comes with a strong Lotus influence on exterior and interior styling.

The cabin-cladding colour is tempest grey, rear seats are split 60/40 and fold flat, with other kit including climate control with pollen filter, front and rear electric windows, and a Blaupunkt radio/CD player with an MP3-capable CD player and four way speaker system.

On the Persona's safety list is anti-lock braking, driver and passenger airbags, side impact protection bars, power steering and reverse distance sensors.

The Gen-2 Persona is available in UK Proton dealerships, together with a £1,000 opening discount off the £10,795 manual version and £11,595 automatic model prices.