Jalopnik: roewe

Roewe MG6 Turbo: Four-Door Coupe Heads To Europe

Wes Siler — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Based on the sporty Roewe 550 sedan, which is in turn based on the Rover 75, the MG6 Turbo is expected to return the engineered-in-England platform to Europe's wet shores.

The Rover 75 was a semi-successful last gasp before Rover collapsed and Roewe stepped in. Now, SAIC has returned the brand to the UK, selling the MG TF in small numbers as a way to warm Brits to the idea of a Chinese owned company. This MG6 Turbo could be the first mainstream model to cross the channel in large numbers.

Equipped with a development of the turbocharged 1.8-liter k-series engine, the Roewe MG6 Turbo uses the FWD version of the Rover 75 chassis. That chassis should mean the Chinese-built car will sail through EU crash tests, the 75 excelled in them, only failing to receive Euro NCAP's first 5-star rating due the lack of standard-fit head airbags.

This year is the 85th anniversary of the MG brand, expect SAIC to rush the MG6 to England in an effort to capitalize on that publicity.

China's Roewe Building Next Presidential Limo?

Ray Wert — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:30:00 EST

In a world without US automakers, someone would have to build the next Presidential limousine, right? Chinese automaker Roewe's working hard to complete this luxury barge ahead of the Shanghai show. Why not them?

Well, for starters, GM's got the current contract as evidenced by the new Cadillac One, President-elect Barack Obama's presidential limo. So while they're still, you know, around, it'll probably be them. So while not likely Roewe is building this to replace Cadillac One, the Chinese automaker's pressing ahead with this luxury sedan we expect to see unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. Current intel from our friends at China Car Times suggests this new super-sedan

"will be at least 12-15cm longer than the regular Roewe 750, which is actually based off the stretched Rover 75 that SAIC bought the rights to in 2005."

Bigger? Yes. Longer? Yes. However, we just want to see how it holds up to a Gatling gun-equipped Chevy Suburban. [China Car Times]

Roewe Brings Modified 550s To Guangzhou

Wes Siler — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Taking a leaf out of their Western counterparts’ books, Roewe is showing off a group of badly modified Roewe 550s in an effort to get down with the young folk. Apparently, Chinese males between the ages of 18 and 34 find tacky modification as “groovy” as we do here in the states. We’re particularly impressed by the Liberace-esque gold lamé interior and hope it makes its way stateside when Roewe’s parent company Shanghai Auto buys the Not-So-Big Three.

[via China Car Times]

Roewe 550 Sports Edition, With Bonus Haiku

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Those of us living in the United States will probably never see, let alone have the opportunity to buy, a Roewe product, but the brand marches on, and the Roewe 550 Sports Edition shown here is proof. What it adds to the standard 550 we have no idea, other than the go-faster boy-racer body parts. Despite Roewe being a Chinese brand, we couldn't help but bust out a haiku on the subject.

Now snapped on film
550 Sports Edition
Roewe Flavored Rice

[More images at ChinaCarTimes]

MG TF Renders Point At New Roadster From China

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

These renders of an all new MG TF come courtesy of AutoExpress, so of course that means they should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, based on the success of roadsters over the past decade it's not too far a stretch to think MG's new Chinese owners would want to build upon the MG tradition — leaky seals, fussy side draft carbs and pre-rusted rocker panels, we kid, we kid. But really, according to the Express, the new car will be built off of the Roewe 550 platform and be available both as a convertible and a coupe — interesting.

Power supposedly comes from a 1.8 L turbo four and 2.5 L V6 and drives the rear wheels. If they can manage to keep the weight down this could prove to be a very interesting little car. Production may start as early as 2010, but that's only if this isn't all a big made up farce. [AutoExpress]

Geely GT Steals Our Hearts, MG Police Car Arrests Them

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:40:00 EDT

We have to give Nanjing Auto/Shanghai Auto/Ason Unique credit for taking care of their MG brand. MG/Rover has a long history of making awesome police cars back in Britain and the Chinese version of the company has been making vehicles for both the Chinese police and the army. And while we're not big on Chinese authorities, what with the human rights abuses, we have to admit this MG TF convertible police car is quite rad. We especially like the shark fin stalk holding up the cherry.

This is technically happening at the Beijing Police And Equipment show next door to the Beijing Motor Show. The only drawback to this model is that you can't arrest more than one person at a time. But that's a small price to pay for looking so good. [AuotSina via The Tycho]

Would You Drive A Chinese Car?

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Now that almost everyone would drive a Japanese and now a Korean car, it's worth asking if you all would drive a Chinese car. In fact, given all that's coming out at this year's explosive Beijing Motor Show, it is a harder question than it has been in the past. Though there are questions of quality and originality, cars like the Geely GT do capture the imagination. With the Koreans moving up-scale, it is quite possible the cheaper-than-thou market is opening up. We all like value.

Multiple part question here. Would you buy a Chinese car? Which one? Why? Why not? Would Geely's King Kong be involved? What about a Chinese-bodied Mazda6 like the FAW B50?

Roewe, Roewe, Roewe Your Boat, Old Chap!

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:30:00 EDT

If buying Rover in all but name (thanks to those crafty bastiches in M nchen-Stadt) and slapping a weird melange of 300C and Audi schnoz on the front gives one mad Brit cred, SAIC may as well change its name to Pete Townshend, Carnaby Street or the Earl of March. The Roewe booth at the Shanghai show had the models all dolled up in riding gear, standing prim, proper and vaguely Stepford-esque. To be fair, the Roewes were likely the most well-realized seeming of the Chinese automakers' non-joint-venture products, and they do look a helluva lot better than Rovers past. That said, we'll wait for the JD Power numbers on these puppies. (Insert Five Deadly Venoms fighting the ghost of Joe Lucas joke here. Thanks.) – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
Red Rover: New Roewe [Internal]

Chinese Rover Hybrid? Shanghai Auto's Roewe 750 to Get "Integrated Loop" Drivetrain

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 09:48:17 EST

Shanghai Auto, the Chinese automaker that's refashioning the Rover 75 as the Roewe 750, says it's building a version that uses an "integrated loop" to garner a 20% increase in fuel efficiency. The boys at China Car Times say that's likely code for a hybrid system. But if our lack of an electrical engineering degree has taught us anything, its that an integrated loop could mean a variety of technologies at work, from some manner of digital controller to a box of animal crackers made into a bong. We'll just have to watch this one carefully. – Mike Spinelli

Rong Wei/Roe We Rover 750 - Its a Hybrid! [China Car Times]

Red Rover: New Roewe 750E

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:39:13 EDT

China's Shanghai Auto released photos of its newly re-released Rover 75, which it's calling the Roewe 750E. Created for the increasingly status-conscious Chinese market, the Roewe features a 2.5-liter V6 and a plush, leather-filled interior of questionable build quality, according to the marketing imagery. [Gallery] – Mike Spinelli