Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, China, Roewe
Roewe 550, 750 arrive in Chile as MGs
Remember the Roewe 550? Pretty nice-looking ride, especially for a Chinese car, considering some of the freakishly awful stuff that comes out of the country. SAIC apparently realizes that in terms of name recognition, MG > Roewe. Case in point: the introduction of the 550 and 750 sedans in Chile, where both cars are now being sold under the MG moniker by importer SK Bergé. The two four-doors will reportedly be joined by the TF roadster in November, but despite the traditionally British nameplate adorning their respective bonnets, all three are made in China. You know, like everything else. You can see a gallery of the brand's launch event in Santiago here. Thanks for the tip, Potts.
[Sources: Autoblog Spanish, Austin Rover Online]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
philrocka 2:26PM (10/26/2008)
The 550 actually looks REALLY good and I think it would be really competitive here in NA. They just have to make sure it gets a good crash test rating and have a decent dealer network upon arrival. This company also owns Ssangyong, so with the addition of the recently displayed C200 crossover Ssangyong will be releasind soon MG would have 2 very attractive models from the beginning and maybe a new TF as a halo model.
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AutoArgent 2:41PM (10/26/2008)
It is a nice-looking car, although I wish it'd have a bit more MG style if they're going to badge it that way. The C200 is neat, but once again it just doesn't look like an MG to me. In any case I would love them to bring them stateside, if just for the sake of more choices on our part.
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Flashpoint 3:29PM (10/26/2008)
I lived in China, Shanghai (and Hang Zhou). China's motor companies such as Gao Xing, had decent enough cars for Chinese citizens, but chinese citizens DO NOT WANT TO BUY CHINESE CARS.
America needs to get more serious about pushing American quality products in China. GM is doing well with the Buick image but I think Lincoln could do just as well (or Mercury).
America as a whole better get serious about its "green" automotive technology and soon.
Not only could we create factory jobs using clean technology to turn out green products, BUT, We can sell these things in countries before the Chinese do.
We should be pushing ethanol cars in places where sugar cane Ethanol is big - like Brazil. We should be pushing clean diesels too.
As for the Rowe 550... its an interesting design, but I'd never buy a Chinese car. They can't even keep lead paint out of the candy.
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JDC 4:26PM (10/26/2008)
I see a lot of Altima design in the front end and a lot of fake wood and shapes similar to an old Chrysler Sebring on the inside. It appears to me that no one looks impressed while sitting inside the cars. Does anyone else notice that and that there are no Chinese execs in any of the photos?
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Slag 4:51PM (10/26/2008)
So this is the company that bought MG-Rover when they carked it?
And "Roewe" is pronounced in the German way, i.e. Ruh-va?
And the 750 is an old Rover 75 with a "0" on the end and some new lights?
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cxv 5:00PM (10/26/2008)
I have to say I like the 550. If priced correctly and with the quality issues sorted out could easily be sold in this country. I agree with some comments above about SAIC complementing MG with Ssangyong products. I read somewhere that SAIC will sell the 550 in Korea under Ssangyong brand and that makes sense. This is what GM is doing with Daewoo and Reanult with Samsung and they are doing well. Let's face it this is a new MG and they are not going to sell just convertibles. In the UK they sold horrible cars like the Metro and Maestro under the MG brand. I wish them well.
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hypermiler 1:10PM (10/27/2008)
The launch plan is canceled. Roewe 550 is deemed uncompetitive in Korean market, where Elantra, Lacetti(aka Cruze in Europe and US), Kia Forte, and even Civic duke it out in compact car segment.
accelerating_cubicle 5:39PM (10/26/2008)
yes, but will it be contaminated by melamine?
i dont want to develop kidney failure from driving around in it. The dry feet patchy fee i might be able to live with.
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Conundrum 7:45PM (10/26/2008)
This car looks fabulous...but...
If MG/ Roewes were sold in US/ Canada I would wait a few years before putting one in my driveway. Some Chinese products are a good bargain and some cut corners so much that they put human safety at risk...
tires recalled to to improper construction
lead paint in childrens toys
mushrooms taited with illegal pesticides
apples cured with cancer causing chemicals
fish tainted with banned antibiotics
toothpaste with ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
faulty power chords on electric devices
deadly pet food
tainted milk
This trend of Chinese companies doing whatever it takes to make a buck would concern me that they may cut corners in safety design, use lower grade steels for structural elements, and use low grade electronics that would not live up to our expectations.
Time will tell but I will not be a test subject.
Conundrum 7:41PM (10/26/2008)
This car looks fabulous.
If MG/ Roewes were sold in US/ Canada I would wait a few years before putting one in my driveway. Some Chinese products are a good bargain and some cut corners so much that they put human safety at risk...
tires recalled to to improper construction
lead paint in childrens toys
mushrooms taited with illegal pesticides
apples cured with cancer causing chemicals
fish tainted with banned antibiotics
toothpaste with ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
faulty power chords on electric devices
deadly pet food
tainted milk
This trend of Chinese companies doing whatever it takes to make a buck would concern me that they may cut corners in safety design, use lower grade steels for structural elements, and use low grade electronics that would not live up to our expectations.
Time will tell but I will not be a test subject.
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Jack 9:40PM (1/17/2009)
Just to tell u, this car along with Chery A3 (another Chinese car) got 5 stars in all three of the safety tests performed.
Torrent 8:29PM (10/26/2008)
nice but the headlights look like telephones.
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Mehul 10:03PM (10/26/2008)
Didnt the company have some problems with the name MG? I thought THAT is why they changed it to Roewe
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IMF 10:36AM (10/27/2008)
They got problems with both names. That's why MG now states for Model Gentleman
PhilP10 11:16AM (10/27/2008)
Nanjing bought the rights to MG and SAIC bought the rights to the Rover models but didn't get the name hence Roewe. SAIC later merged/purchased Korea's Ssangyong and recently purchased Nanjing. So all three brands will eventually become MG with exceptions depending on the market. Like the Ssangyong name will remain in Korea and Roewe might remain in China.
Like mentioned earlier, the 550 was engineered mainly in Europe and a lot of the future models will continue to be engineered with the help of Ricardo.
Yago Bal 11:01PM (10/26/2008)
The car looks great because it was developed by Ricardo for Rover, in the UK. :) And then, SAIC bought part of Ricardo, so that they could finish the project for them. So, actually, it was designed and developed in Europe.
Isn't the TF manufactured in Longbridge?
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MotownMan 1:48AM (10/27/2008)
A perfect example of Chinese quality problems exists right on the front edge of the hood/bonnet -- everyone see that the MG badge isn't even centered properly? If they can't get the badge right, you've got to wonder what other problems exist.....
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Level 5 5:19AM (10/27/2008)
Hey wow what do you get when you combine last generation's Chrysler Sebring with the newest Jetta.
You get yick, that's what you get. And considering I own an 04 Sebring, I'll more than pass.
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CarBroker.org 11:49AM (10/27/2008)
there has always been a very strong market of sedans in chile
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hypermiler 1:06PM (10/27/2008)
$18,000 is too much for a Chinese car.
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