From What Car:
? 75-based Grand Prestige launches brand in China
? No date set for introduction to the UK yet
? Nanjing still plans to build MGs at Longbridge
Rover 75s will go on sale in China later this month badged as the Roewe Grand Prestige.
The new Roewe brand is being launched by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) which bought the copyright for the Rover 25 and 75 last year. Ford bought the Rover brand last month, so the Chinese needed a new name.
While SAIC has revealed the badge for the new brand, it hasn't yet shown how it has adapted the 75 to transform it into the Grand Prestige.
SAIC has committed more than £700million worth of investment to develop production of the car for export, but hasn't given a timetable on when, or even if, this will include the UK.
Nanjing Automotive, meanwhile, continues with its plans to restart production of the TF roadster at the former MG Rover plant at Longbridge next year.
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C,
we keep reading "plans to restart production... at the former MG Rover ..." and it keeps not happening. The more time that goes by, the less likely this seems. I'm afraid I'll believe it when I see it.
JH
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I was more interested in "Rover 75s will go on sale in China later this month badged as the Roewe Grand Prestige." didnt take them long to set up production.
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The Rover brand name has been given a new lease of life - of a sort.
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), one of China's largest carmakers and the new owner of the MG Rover technology, has selected "Roewe" ? which means "honour and prestige" in Chinese ? as its marque name.
The tricky pronunciation of Roewe, transcribed "Rong Wei" in Chinese, appears to be a clone of the name Rover, which SAIC tried to buy from BMW earlier this year but failed when Ford Motor exercised its option to buy first. SAIC had agreed to buy the brand, illustrated by a Viking longship, for more than £11m.
However, that deal was always subject to the agreement of Ford, which had secured a veto on any sale when the US car company bought Land Rover from BMW for £1.4bn in 2000.
Ford decided to buy the Rover name because it "was in the best interests of Land Rover". SAIC was prepared not to make 4x4 Rover cars to avoid any clash with the Land Rover, but the offer was clearly not enough for Ford.
SAIC bought the rights to the Rover 25 and 75 for £67m in late 2004, months before MG Rover went into administration.
The report from Friday's Telegraph.
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And the sat nav says you are going the "Rong Wei" !
Its not 1st April, is it?
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Roewe - didn't he write My Fair Rady with Allan Jay Rerner?
Actually it's not a baf effort at 'Rover' as that's how you'd write it in German if your keyboard can't do an umlaut on the 'o'.
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Ah, Julie Andlews and Lex Hallison in the original Druly Lane ploduction.
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Well done lads - nothing like a bit of racial stereotyping to maintain the high standards of the Back Room.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Nothing racial intended, Andymc - just a wee play on words. Let's instead build a picture of a sheep training as an oarswoman, or perhaps (keeping it motoring-related) hitching a lift in Nomag's NSU.
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"Well done lads - nothing like a bit of racial stereotyping to maintain the high standards of the Back Room.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ..."
Hold up - your a Mick!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Just moving on from 80 years of flat cap, moustache and cigar, string backed driving gloves, "jolly good show old chap" Rover stereotyping.
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Yes I think we can all dispense with the "Benny HIll" oriental impressions. The Chinese management totally out thought and out manouvred the Rover counterparts. The tragedy is that we are left as one of the more economically significant Eurpean nations without a mass production marque - Rover, MG, Triumph & Wolseley all gone . The joke is on us!!!!!
These Far Eastern countries have a strong work ethic and are really hungry for success - look at the recent progress made by Kia and Hyundai - they are making genuinely good cars at really competitive prices. In a few years, we may be buying Nanjings - and why not?
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>>Actually it's not a baf effort at 'Rover' as that's how you'd write it in German if your keyboard can't do an umlaut on the 'o'.
A lot of Chinese people in my experience have difficulty pronouncing the letter V, it sounds more like a W. So "vase" sounds like "wase". I wonder if someone realised this and amended the name accordingly, perhaps one of the British technical assistants?
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Nobody wanted these things when they were new. So who would want them now, whatever they're called or wherever they're made.
If any new car ever rolls out of Longbridge, I will... I will... I will....do something.
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There have been press releases recently to the effect that Stadco (who made F/TF pressings) has signed a deal with Nanjing to move the press facility to Longbridge and restart production. There are apparently various "STADCO HGV this way" signs around Longbridge so something seems to be going on.
Must admit I never thought we'd see another car come out of Longbridge but I am beginning to think there may be a small number of TF's emerge sometime next year. Whether anyone will buy them is perhaps another matter....
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