NAC MG TF Pricing Announced – More Expensive Than an MX-5!

Chinese carmaker NAC MG has announced UK pricing for its British built TF LE500. The mid-engined, rwd roadster that's due to arrive in dealerships across Britain this September has been priced at 16,399 GBP (that's $32,700 or EUR 20,600 with the current exchange rates). For that money you get a 136Hp 1.8-liter engine and several standard amenities like air-condition, ABS, leather seats, windstop, 16-inch alloy wheels, a body colored hardtop, parking sensors and a Pioneer MP3 compatible CD / radio.

But we ask; more than 16,000 pounds for a car that's practically a facelifted version of the original MG TF that was introduced in 1995? That's a lot for a car that was already outdated compared to its rivals when it went out of production in 2005, let alone in 2008. For example, prices for the Mazda MX-5 1.8 start from 15,750 pounds while you can get a nicely equipped MX-5 1.8 Icon for 16,825 pounds. We drove the last TF130 back in 2005, and while the MG had its fun side, even then, it showed its age in more ways than one.

Volkswagen Lavida: Chinese Mid-Size Sedan Coming to Beijing Auto Show

A teaser shot of Shanghai Volkswagen’s forthcoming Chinese built and designed mid-size sedan that will debut at the Beijing auto show in April emerged on the internet today. While we can’t vouch for its authenticity, if real, it looks like VW’s new sedan that will be named “Lavida” is heavily based on the latest generation Skoda Octavia. Shanghai Volkswagen is a joint venture between the German carmaker Volkswagen and Chinese Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), which has also formed a separate venture with General Motors.

Via: es.autoblog.com

SAIC Motors Buys 50.3% Stake In Shanghai Diesel Engine Co.

Hot on its heels from the purchase of domestic rival car maker Nanjing Auto –see here, SAIC Motors today announced that it has agreed to pay 923 million yuan ($127 million) to Shanghai Electric Group Co Ltd in order to acquire a 50.32 percent slice of Shanghai Diesel Engine Co.

"The purchase will enable SAIC to develop its own engines and complete products with well-established core spare parts," said SAIC in a statement that it issued. "It will lift our company’s competitiveness in the commercial vehicle segment." -Continued after the jump

The Chinese Group has announced that it plans to produce 600,000 units annually of its own brand of vehicles by 2010, a number that includes 200,000 passenger cars and 400,000 commercial cars. SAIC’s overall plan is to reach an annual production of 2 million units, for both passenger and commercial vehicles, by then. Most of the vehicles produced by SAIC today are made in collaboration with its joint ventures (GM and Volkswagen AG), and all those cars carry the foreign partners' brand nameplates.

China: Shanghai Automotive Buys Nanjing Auto

State-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) has come to an agreement with Yuejin Motor Group (also state-owned…) to buy its Nanjing Automobile’s auto-assembly and component-making businesses. The deal, which is valued at 2.1 billion Yuan or approximately $286 million, will set Shanghai as one of the biggest players in China’s booming auto-industry. According to reports, the combined sales of Shanghai and Nanjing will surpass the 2 million units mark by 2010.

Of course a deal like this wouldn’t have been carried out without the consent of the all-mighty Chinese government who wants to see more mergers in China's fragmented passenger car market which kinda reminds the US and European car industry in the first half of the 20th century when there where like 50 or more independent car makers. -Continued

Interestingly, Nanjing Automobile owns MG Rover assets along with the right to the brand MG, while Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) obtained design rights for two Rover models including the 75 which it sells under the name Roewe.

Roewe W2 Concept: Chinese...Rover previews all-new mid-size sedan at Shanghai Show

You could call the W2 the first new Rover model in years, but I guess we’d rightfully anger British enthusiasts so lets just say its the first Chinese-designed Roewe. According to our initial info Roewe (they presented the Chinese version of the Rover 75 dubbed 750E a few months ago), will put the 4door-sedan concept into production with little changes towards the end of the year. We’ll have more on the W2 Concept as soon as we get our hands on an English press release since we don’t plan on learning Chinese -for the time being that is...

ROEWE 750E: SAIC reveals official pics of it's Rover 75 based sedan

Before some of you start screaming "COPY CAT", know that this Rover 75 based sedan is 100% legitimate. The owner of the newly established ROEWE car company is Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp (SAIC) and it has bought the intellectual property rights to build Rover's 75 in 2005.

The 750E will be officially unveiled at the Beijing Auto show, which runs from Nov 17 to 28 and there are rumors that SAIC has plans to export the 750E to Europe and the US in the near future. Mmm, I wonder if ROEWE is pronounced "Rong Wei" in Chinese... Via: Jalopnik

Technorati: ROEWE+750E, SAIC, Shanghai+Automotive+Industrial+Corp, China, Rover+75, autos, images, official+photos, pictures, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop

Bye-Bye Rover, hello Roewe : Chinese SAIC creates new brandname for it's Rover 25 & 75 based cars

After failing to acquire the "Rover" brandname from BMW in September by Ford (as it used it's option to buy the brandname when it bought Land Rover from BMW in 2000), Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp -aka SAIC, created a new nameplate for the two Rover models (25 & 75) that it has intellectual property rights to build.

The Chinese company will name it's versions of the Rover 25 & 75, "Roewe" with the 75 being named 750E (Rong Wei in Chinese). The Rover 75 based 750E, pictures of whom you see here, will be officially unveiled at the Beijing Auto show, which runs from Nov 17 to 28. As for the company's logo, the resemblance with the original is obvious.

Most interesting though is the fact that SAIC has plans to export the 750E to Europe and the US in the near future. We'll have more on the Roewe 750E specs and export plans closer to the presentation date. Via: Autoblog.com

Technorati: Roewe+750E, Rover+75, Rover+25, China, SAIC, Carscoop, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles

Ford buys Rover nameplate

"We feel it is in interests of our Land Rover business to have the Rover brand. We are acquiring it and we're not looking to sell it. We believe it is a valuable asset for us"

That's what a Ford spokesman told Reuters concerning the company's decision to exercise its right to buy the Rover brand name from BMW. What the spokesman didn't say is that Ford was "scared to death" when it heard that Chinese automakers SAIC and Nanjing (they have both brought the rights to manufacture former MG Rover models), where in contact with BMW to buy the Rover nameplate. Why? Well, imagine a Chinese made Rover SUV reminiscent of a Land Rover model...

Technorati Tags: Ford, Land+Rover, SAIC, Nanjing, PAG, Rover, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles,

BMW reaches an agreement to sell the "Rover" brand name

According to a report from Automotive News, BMW has reached an agreement to sell the rights of the Rover brand name. Although there has been no leak concerning the company's name, it is speculated that the main candidates are two Chinese automakers, both of whom are under state control (!). Nanjing Automobile which acquired MG Rover assets and the sportscar brand MG, and Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) owner of design rights to two Rover models including the 75

The newspaper states that a spokesman for BMW confirmed a report in the German financial daily newspaper, Handelsblatt stating, "A binding agreement was made".

Although it seems like a done deal, BMW will need to obtain Ford's consent due to legal issues as the latter owns Land Rover -acquired from the BMW Group a few years ago. Basically, this means that Ford will give its consent only if the future owner of Rover's name strictly avoids any conspicuous connections with SUV vehicles.

I think that Ford should be very, very, very cautious with this one. Can you imagine the surprise on the face of a Ford's Group manager if he sees a Rover LT3 or a Rover Sport in the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show ?

Technorati: Rover, BMW, Nanjing+Automobile, MG+Rover, Shanghai+Automotive, SAIC, autos, auto+news, vehicles, cars, automotive