Comeback in the UK?

Anyone wanting to purchase a Rover nowadays has to visit their local second-hand car dealer or emigrate to China. The once illustrious badge and sister marque MG, both steeped in British tradition, now roll off the assembly lines of Chinese carmaker SAIC. Because the Rover trade name passed to Ford, the Asian company has had to settle for calling its models Roewe. It sounds similar and in translation means something like 'royal power'. Not a bad choice of name, considering the origins of the brand. Roewe N1 and MG6 are the designations for the twin compact saloons that made their debut at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show.

In early 2010, the MG6 is due for its market launch with the Roewe N1 following one year later. European design and technology is still too expensive for the Chinese home market, so SAIC have hit on the strategy of reintroducing the brand to the UK where the sale price will be considered more affordable. The MG TF roadster is still assembled at Longbridge in Birmingham, but from components made in China.