SAIC Roewe

Roewe (in Chinese: 荣威; in Pinyin: "Rongwei", "English pronunciation: ['rəʊ-və] , which is similar to the British pronunciation for "Rover") is an automobile marque created by the Chinese firm Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), to use on cars it builds based on the MG Rover technology it has bought. [cite news
title=Rover becomes 'Roewe'
date=2006-10-13
publisher=The Daily Telegraph
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/10/13/bcnrover13.xml]

The marque appeared firstly on the company's version of the Rover 75, called Roewe 750. Roewe was publicly launched at the November Motor Show in Beijing in 2006, where the revised 75 was on display. The car is slightly longer than the equivalent MG Rover model, but shares components such as parts of the interior and the engines. [cite web
title=SAIC’s Roewe 750E caught testing
date=2006-10-13
publisher=MotorAuthority
url=http://www.motorauthority.com/news/spy-shots/saic%e2%80%99s-roewe-750e-caught-testing] Over 30 new models are expected to be launched under the marque between 2006 and 2011, whilst 120,000 Roewe cars are expected to be produced by SAIC in 2007.

The use of the Roewe name is due to SAIC's inability to buy the rights to the Rover name from BMW due to Ford Motor Company exercising their option on the name. The Roewe name and badge are similar to the Rover name and badge because of this, to minimise retooling costs.

Name origin

The name "Roewe", is thought to have come from the traditional Chinese words honour, king and lion "rong", and power and prestige "wei". It is pronounced to the sound of wrong-way in English.

Models

Roewe 750

It is a highly revised version of the Rover 75. The drivetrain is a 2.5L V6 petrol engine, which is based on the Rover KV6 engine and the gearbox is a brand new 5 speed automatic. The company claims that 85% of the car is being improved. Later, a 1.8T petrol engine which will deliver around 150bhp will also be introduced into the line up. The standard 1.8L turbo version Roewe 750 is priced at 210,000 Yuan (USD$29,000 or £14,500) in Jan,2008. [http://pricesearch.auto.sohu.com/search/PriceSearchResult.aspx?BrandId=10573000 in Chinese]

Roewe 550 W2 Concept Car

On April 21st 2007 Roewe introduced the W2/550 concept car to the public at the Shanghai Auto Show. The car is the work of a joint Anglo-Chinese collaboration with ex-Rover experts at consultancy firm Ricardo 2010 and SAIC's own car development team. [cite web
title=Roewe reveals reborn Rover 45
date=2007-05-05
publisher=Auto Express
url=http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/208304/roewe_reveals_reborn_rover_45.html]

The car features LED lights on the rear, and various audio, climate and sat nav controls through a touchscreen, and a panoramic glass roof. Though billed as a concept by Roewe bosses, it is expected to be production ready, with the panoramic glass roof as a production option.

Underneath, the concept is based on a shortened Rover 75 platform, featuring a development of BMW's Z-axle system. It is expected to come on 19-inch alloy wheels with sus­pension tuned by ex-Rover and MG engineers.

Based on the Rover K series engine, power options will include a 1.8-litre turbo­charged petrol and 2.0 litre diesel engines. The 1.8-litre will deliver around 150bhp, while the 2.0-litre diesel - complying with Euro IV emissions regulations - will provide similar levels of power. A hybrid drivetrain is expected to be offered also, with manual or automatic transmissions for the complete model lineup.

Euro NCAP ready, the car is expected to arrive in SsangYong European showrooms in 2009, with prices starting at £14,500 pounds sterling. According to Autocar Magazine (UK), it will not be branded as Roewe, instead it will be branded as SsangYong, a marque majority owned by SAIC.

External links

* [http://www.roewe.com.cn/ Roewe Website] zh icon
* [http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?sac528indexf.htm Roewe 750 on Austin-Rover.co.uk]
* [http://www.roewe.co.nr Roewe Resource] (In English)
* [http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/16/roewe-w2-concept-a-chinese-delight/ Autoblog on Roewe W2 Concept]

Notes