Roewe (in Chinese: 荣威; in Pinyin: Róngwēi) is a luxury automotive marque owned by the Chinese automaker SAIC Motor. Roewe vehicles are primarily based on technology acquired from the defunct British carmarker MG Rover.^[1] SAIC was unable to also acquire the rights to the Rover brand name and created the Roewe marque as a replacement.^[2]

Roewe is currently one of only a small number of indigenous Chinese luxury vehicle marques.^[3] Its models are sold under the MG marque in most markets outside of China.

Name [link]

The name "Roewe" originates from SAIC's failure to acquire the Rover marque from BMW in 2005,^[4] which BMW instead sold to Ford (and which was later sold by Ford to its current owner, Tata Motors, as part of the 2008 sale of Jaguar Land Rover).

Composed of the Chinese characters Róng and wēi that together roughly mean "glorious power", SAIC says it derived the Roewe name from Löwe, German for lion, but some believe that it is simply a transliteration of the word Rover. Loewe, pronounced much like Roewe by Chinese speakers, is also the name of a Spanish manufacturer of luxury leather goods.^[5] The Chinese pronunciation of Roewe is closer to "wrong-way"^[5] than "roe-way" although the latter may appear to be the correct way to say the name. Roewe's badge, superficially similar to Rover's, includes two golden lions.

History [link]

SAIC purchased technology relating to the Rover 75 and Rover 25 after the 2005 collapse of MG Rover, and the Roewe marque first appeared on a version of the 75, the Roewe 750. Originally intending to purchase all assets of the failed British company, SAIC was outbid by Nanjing Automobile.^[4] In 2007 SAIC merged with Nanjing Auto, so it now controls the MG Rover assets, such as the MG name and a Birmingham factory, the Longbridge plant, that it was initially unable to acquire.^[6]

English engineering firm Ricardo assisted the development of early Roewe models and set up a new company in the UK, Ricardo (2010) Consultants Ltd, which helped bring the 750 to market.^[2] According to SAIC, work on the vehicle was also done in China.^[7] In 2007 Ricardo (2010) Consultants was purchased by SAIC and re-named SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre.^[8] It employs over 200 British ex-Rover engineers.^[9]

SAIC revealed an all-electric version of the Roewe 350 powered by lithium-ion batteries in late 2010.^[10] It is not certain if the vehicle will be offered to consumers,^{[citation needed]} but a small electric vehicle is supposed to be on the market in 2012.^[10] China subsidies oil^[11] and some Chinese automakers see opportunities in less mature electric vehicles because Western companies have yet to develop much of a lead in the technology.^[12][13]

Models [link]

Many Roewe models are based on Rover 75 or Rover 25 technologies.^[14]

Roewe 750 [link]

Roewe 750

The Roewe 750, launched in October 2006, is a revised version of the Rover 75 with the wheelbase stretched by 103 millimetres (4.1 in) and a re-worked rear end.^[2] The drivetrain is a 2.5L V6 petrol unit 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 improved.^{[citation needed]} Later, a 1.8T (turbo) petrol engine based on the Rover K-series, delivering around 150 bhp (112 kW; 152 PS) was introduced. The standard 1.8T version Roewe 750 was priced at 210,000 Yuan (US$29,000 or £14,500) in January 2008.^[15]

Roewe 550 [link]

MG 550 at the tenth Santiago Motorshow, October 2008

The Roewe 550 was formally launched at a 2008 motor show, and features LED lights on the rear; various audio, climate, and sat nav controls through a touchscreen; and a panoramic glass roof.

Partly developed by SAIC,^[14] the 550 is the work of a joint Anglo-Chinese collaboration between ex-Rover experts at a consultancy firm, Ricardo 2010, and SAIC's own car development team.^[16] Underneath, the 550 is based on a shortened Rover 75 platform and features a development of BMW's Z-axle system also used in the 75.^[17]

Using a powerplant based on the Rover K series engine, options include a 1.6 litre and 1.8 litre naturally aspirated or turbocharged petrol and 2.0 litre diesel engines. The 1.8 litre turbo (christened "Kavachi" after a submarine volcano in the South Pacific) delivers around 150 bhp (112 kW; 152 PS), while the 2.0 litre diesel, complying with Euro IV emissions regulations, provides similar levels of power. A hybrid version was shown at the 2010 Beijing Autoshow.^[18]

The Roewe 550 is sold as the MG 550 in Peru and Chile, but most export markets will only receive the sportier MG 6 derivative. Chinese-built MG 6 models for the UK market undergo final assembly at the MG Longbridge plant as of April 2011. Production will stay small at no more than 3,000 units per year.^[19]

Roewe 350 [link]

MG 350 at the 11th Santiago Motor Show in Chile

The Roewe 350 is based on the Roewe N1 concept car of 2009.^[20] The production version was publicly launched at the Beijing Auto Show in 2010 with a SAIC-developed 1.5 L engine. The engine produces 107 hp (80 kW), but currently only meets Euro 4 emissions standards.^[21] The 350 is produced at a former Nanjing Automobile production base in Pukou, China.^[22] It is sold as the MG 350 in Peru and Chile.

Roewe W5 [link]

Roewe launched the W5, its first SUV, at the 2011 Auto Shanghai motor show. The W5 is based on the a Korean SsangYong Kyron, and is powered by the same 1.8 L engine as are the Roewe 550 and 750.^[23]

Exports [link]

Outside of China Roewe-derived models are currently sold under the MG marque.^[24]

Chile [link]

In 2008, the Roewe 550 and 750 were launched in Chile under the names MG 550 and MG 750, respectively.^[25] The smaller MG 350 and sporty MG 6 were displayed at the eleventh Santiago Motor Show in October 2010.^[26]

Europe [link]

European sales first began in Belarus, with an MG-badged version of the 550.^[17] British car magazine Autocar tested the Roewe 350 in 2010 and it was suggested that the model would be built and sold in the UK, but Roewe denied this.^[27] Nonetheless, as of April 2011 SAIC's MG6 (a reworked Roewe 550) commenced assembly at the old MG Rover plant in Longbridge. The European market cars feature certain improvements over its Chinese siblings, meeting EURO V rather than EURO IV emissions standards.^[28]

References [link]

External links [link]

• Roewe website (Chinese)

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