CHINESE ROVER 75 - The Many Lives Of The Rover 75 - Roewe 750
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- Опубликовано: 13 фев 2023
- In this video we cover the many lives of the rover 75, from the brilliance B8 to the Roewe 750 and it's eventual production ending in 2016, I give you an overview on the Chinese community around the car as well as some other stuff and go over a few key facts about MG Rovers collapse and the poor decisions made and answer the main question, Are the Roewe 750 and MG7 really a cheap copy of the Rover 75 or a car in itself.
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I'm Chinese and my dad owns one roewe 750 when i was a child, beautiful memories, now I'm in France and plan to purchase a rover 75 as my very first car
There's no definitive answer to which Rover 75 factory had better quality control, as both had their own strengths and weaknesses throughout the car's production run. Here's a breakdown of the situation:
Cowley (1998-2000):
Upsides:
This was the original Rover factory, with experienced teams familiar with the car's development and build process.
BMW's influence during this period likely led to stricter quality control standards.
Cars built here are generally considered to have better fit and finish.
You can identify them by black sills and lower bumpers.
Downsides:
Production was hampered by labor disputes and supplier issues.
BMW ultimately kept this factory for MINI production, leaving only Longbridge for Rover 75s.
Longbridge (2000-2005):
Upsides:
Production volume increased after the move, making parts and service more readily available.
Phoenix Venture Holdings implemented cost-cutting measures, which could be advantageous for budget-conscious buyers.
Cars built here have a more spacious interior due to slight design tweaks.
Downsides:
Some reported a slight dip in quality control compared to Cowley cars, particularly after "Project Drive" aimed at further cost reductions.
Interior materials and build quality might not be as consistent as from Cowley.
Overall:
While both factories had their issues, the general consensus seems to favor Cowley-built Rover 75s for their superior build quality and fit and finish. However, this doesn't mean Longbridge cars are inherently bad - many run perfectly well for years! Ultimately, the best choice depends on your priorities and budget.
Here are some additional factors to consider:
Specific model year: Quality control could fluctuate within each factory depending on the time period.
Specific car condition: Always prioritize a well-maintained car regardless of its factory origin.
Availability: Finding Cowley-built models might be harder due to their shorter production run
C'est une Bonne Idee👍
Keep telling Rovers story pal. Absolute fantastic cars! Still to this day
Thanks Steven I appreciate it and yes they are!
I’m Italian and now I’m 45 years old.
I’m my 20 I was in love with 2 car brands, Rover and BMW.
I’m my 23 I bought my first Rover, a 820 sterling full loaded, I’m my 25 I bought a British green 820 ti lusso 200cv turbo. It was my proud I loved that car above and beyond any other car in the world, not even a Ferrari !
Then I decided to go back to university and my father force me to sell my Rover😢.
Years later after my uni I bought another 820 turbo… but it never was like the green and unfortunately the previous owner mess up her mechanical and the engine literally exploded. So I scrapped the car😢.
Years later I was tempted to buy a 75 but in Italy it was not easy find parts… so I gave up. Then I have relocate my self many times in Italy, Australia and Uk. And for this reason I never had the chance to buy and preserve another Rover.
If I were rich I would probably buy the entire range of rover form the 100 to the 800 and from the 25 to the 75 and MG model as well. I loved also the Range Rover of the same years…
I said I was in love also with BMW…
I have never forgiven BMW, they destroyed Rover and they make sure that no one can revival it.
Unforgivable!
For this reason all these years, I have never considered to by a BMW… I haven't forgiven them yet
I never liked the post-1980 BMWs. Their appeal has gone down the scale as society has changed. Started with yuppies and now boy-racers and drug dealers. The Rover 75 oozed quality and class. It was truly a baby Bentley. I had three of them. Well screwed together, reliable and economical. Such a shame that BMW fouled up and the Phoenix 4 ruined the brand. Sadly that IS the story of the British car industry.
It's people like you that keep the original marque alive in spirit. I used to blame BMW and the Chinese vultures too, but in reality successive british governments, trade unions, british media and our own public killed it all long before. Bmw, Siac and Nanjing Auto were just symptoms, not the cause.
The phoenix 4 should have been locked up for life, pls domthe project video you mentioned
Paid themselves billions while the workers lost out…
No they didn't, do your research.
Of course, the DTI through Blair, releasing the financial position of the company to component suppliers and Press, while JV negotiations were underway had nothing to do with it??. No that didn't undermine confidence..... nor the DTI telling SAICs advisors to pick the assets up at a knock down price once the business had been forced into administration....
No, they should not. It was extremely hard to make it work.
Sadly the Chinese were ruthless, they had no intention of going into business with Rover.
I did many a pdi on 75’s. The release of the 75 and the Z range were the highlights of my MGRover apprenticeship.
Please do the Project Drive.
Would you have gone into business with a company that looked to be in a terrible state and even the government couldn't guarantee that MG Rover would survive.
I think SAIC thought that they would get stitched up with pension liabilities too.
Thank you for another really interesting video , I never knew about the after life of the 75 so found this story fascinating.
Glad you liked it, more to come!
Wherever I drive my OEW mk1 Rover 75 people always look and point or ask me about the car. One person even run up to me in a car park and asked me if I wanted to sell her. I would never ever sell my beautiful car love her to bits
Interesting stuff Tom, great research, would love to hear more of project drive too!
I bought a brand new one in 1998, thereafter I have enjoyed 6 more - a brilliant car. One of my all time favourites
I own this car from MG for many years (MG 750)...it's amazing ❤
Just to correct you on a couple of points.
SAIC didn't manufacturer the MG7, NAC (Nanjing Automobile) did. At the time a totally separate company from SAIC. NAC bought MG Rover's remaining assets from the receivers including the MG marque. Unlike SAIC they didn't get any blueprints, the cars had to be reverse engineered, they did however get all the tooling for the cars and K Series powertrains. They asked Lotus for help in improving the K Series, their own version becoming the N Series, fitted into the MG7, MG3 SW (Streetwise) and TF only.
SAIC meanwhile produced their own tooling for their Roewe 750 and their own version of the K Series re-engineered to become the TCi-Tech.
Of course later on the two companies merged.
Well said. Needed saying. Puzzled that so many key factors were overlooked in this piece.
absolutely brilliant video
Great video again Tom and I would love to see a Project Drive Video
Thanks Glen! Appreciate you as always I’ll be making that hopefully next week
Loved the Sim City 2000 game in the background used to love playing it for hours on an Apple Macintosh Performa 6200. Great video Tom was highly interesting to learn about what happened to the productivity after the plant closed its doors for the final time in the uk.
Thanks and yes, I’ve got and had a few Macintoshs myself over the years. A bit before my time but they’re a great piece of kit
@@tomdrives They really are when I was at school my school used to have the Classic, Plus, LC, LC II, Performa back in the day. Started it off. Then I got an iMac and an eMac which enjoyed very much followed by several iPhones and iPads too.
Another awesome video!!! These are amazing. A++++++++++++++
Thanks John appreciate it
Great Video Tom and a great T shirt 🤟
Thanks been a Megadeth fan for years, I’ve got a signed Rust In Peace by Marty, Dave, Dave and Nick
@@tomdrives good to know. I've been a fan from day 1. A metal head for 54 years now. Keep that album. Never sell it as its priceless. 🤘
Excellent Tom 👍 thanks mate.
Somewhere Tom, is a BBC Midlands Today two-part news feature that followed an ex-MG Rover manager who went to work for Nanjing NAC & was overseeing the dismantling & loading into sea containers of the tooling & assets from Longbridge. Amazingly, BBC Birmingham then went out to China to do the part two follow-up of this manager who had moved out there...It was sobering & somewhat depressing to watch..!
Enjoyed watching
Very interesting Tom.Never realised the 75 carried over that long!
Hmm I recall Jeremy Clarkson saying that the Rover 75 , upon its launch was so old fashioned , it ought to have had a thatched roof . I dont normaly take to modern cars but with my mother still driving a 75 to this day I have to compare it to my Rover 820 Vitesse and frankly there is no comparisson. My Rover 820 is much more modern , much more airy light and responsive than ever the 75 was and the 75 is so claustrophobic compared to my 820 ...even the controls on my car clutch steering brakes are much lighter and easier to operate . I dont mind the 75 being killed off , dont regret it although I reckon the 800 series had at least another 5 years production value left in it. I hasten to add that my 820 has now 400k miles under its belt and apart from a squeak on the ns front , its drives like new .
I think a suitable subject for your attention should be , What happened to Towers, and the other ba###rds after Rover, and also perhaps the sliding doors, opportunity, that was Alchemy project.. great video:)
Thanks Tom… good to have the strands pulled together so clearly and with so much original material to share. Must admit I always thought Phoenix 4 were on the right track in seeking a Chinese partner, I assume most unfortunately baulked at the pensions liability / debts and chose to await the inevitable demise…
As for future vids, a review of R75 v8 would be interesting! I’ve a hunch this would make for a more compelling luxury car than the ZT260 made a sports saloon and yet it’s the rarer of the two?
The ZT260 was known for being a great sports saloon. Could have done with more power, they did plan a 385bhp version, got Prodrive to make a prototype IIRC, but it didn't handle as well as it should have done, so MGR took it back in house and went bust before it was sorted out. Several ZT 260s have had aftermarket supercharger conversions. The 75 V8 is a rare beast, though the Ford engine might have been a bit unrefined for the 75 though.
@@robincook3367Great insights 👍… and I wasn’t suggesting the ZT wasn’t an excellent car, rather that I always imagined the Rover version as an intriguing spiritual successor to, say, the P5B coupe… but maybe you’re right about that Mustang engine’s suitability as a luxury cruiser… bring on the review!
@@marktrevarthen5017(=
It's not a copy, it's a licence.
The pronunciation of "zhongua" can vary depending on the context and desired emphasis. Here are two common ways to pronounce it:
Mandarin Chinese: In Standard Mandarin, "zhongua" is pronounced as two syllables:
zhong: This syllable is pronounced with a rising tone, similar to the sound "uh-oh" but slightly higher at the end. The "h" at the end is not fully audible but adds a slight breathiness to the sound.
hua: This syllable is pronounced with a falling tone, similar to the sound "wah" but lower at the end.
Cantonese: In Cantonese, "zhongua" can be pronounced in two ways:
Chung Wah: This pronunciation is similar to the Mandarin pronunciation, with the "ch" in "chung" sounding like the "ch" in "church" and the "w" in "Wah" being slightly more rounded than in Mandarin.
Jung Ngwa: This pronunciation is less common but also acceptable. The "j" in "Jung" sounds like the "j" in "jump" and the "ng" in "Ngwa" is a nasal sound similar to the "ng" in "sing".
A sad story indeed.
if you have the 17 inch wheels, which brand and size of tire would you recommend for a smooth quiet ride?
One thing you don't mention is how similar the MG6 was to the 75. Having owned both MG and MG ZTT I found that I could buy Rover 75 parts to fit my 6 often at a lower cost. It also had the K series 1.8 turbo engine found in the Rover 75 1.8 litre car.
Very good piece -do you know what the sales volumes were over the 10 years in China? This may have been greater than Rovers own sales in Europe. I worked with a guy who exported Rovers 75's to Ghana -he bought 2 dashboards from German scrap yards and shipped them in the UK cars to Tema for local LHD conversion! That was in 2007..
As Classic Rover 75 2.5 V6 fan were any Roewe 750 ever imported into Europe/UK ? Could one get hold of a 2016 Roewe 750 via the UK MG dealer net work? Excellent video on the intricacies of the classic Rover ever made ! Start collecting now folks....Best regards Alex
Already also bought an MG Zt V6 tuned up engine with racing cams and a Rover 75 diesel
Nope, in fact there has never been any Roewe cars exported outside of China, a few of the later models have been elsewhere but badged as MG.
make project drive please
I will do Ralph! Always wanted to make it
@@tomdrives how many Rovers do you have?and I am glad you also bought one of the best last Rovers ever to be build
@@ralphralefeta1179 3 at the moment, an SD1, 827 Vitesse and my 75 :)
@@tomdrives wow I am impressed is the SD1 a V8?and what is the Vitesse?
@@ralphralefeta1179 the Vitesse is the 800 (the early one same as the Tony Pond Isle Of Man car) and the SD1 2600 is the inline 6
I would be interested in a video on project drive 👍
I have a 1.8T Tourer a very useful car . The origional engine needed changing out so I put an engine from a 1.8T MG 6 in . The pre 2014 MG6 has the K series engine only the problems associated with the Rover engine have been sorted out .
Thanks tom
Well other than having a 75 myself does your t shirt say your going to Bloodstock this year Tom?
Could you make a video on the Power train G series diesel engine please.
Great video….a period of BL’s history that always interests me is the early 80s following the Government bail out which enabled them to release the Metro - they also had some cash left to revise the Allegro, Marina, Maxi and Princess, to refresh an essentially 70s range of cars for a few years until the launch of the Maestro and Montego - these facelifts are fascinating to me - all of them stopgap cars - do you fancy doing a video on these? Keep up the great work - always appreciated!
As I understand it, negotiations with SAIC were conducted over a liquid lunch, with some very inebriated plants on the Chinese side of the table.
As a Rover 400 User, I am very saddened by the closure of Rover. Why Doesn't Chinese Company Saic Produce Parts for Old Model Vehicles? I hope one day England will buy Rover again and resurrect it
Worked on development of the 75 safety systems in early 2000s as MG Rover did the deal. I can confirm at the time it was pronounced "Ro'er", as in the power source of a rowing boat.
Most of the work centred around re-doing the conformity testing of the frontal airbags to confirm they worked with the new fake wood pas airbag cover and horrible new driver airbag cover.
Really hate the Audi-esque grille. But that's designed to appeal to the Chinese as it's a sign of affluence (hence the bugger ugly Audi, BMW and Merc grilles on newer models)
Great video dude
Dude that "Bentleyfied" Roewe's interior look sick af
Is there any Roewe's in the UK?!
75 was a very fine car, the fact that it lived on so long elsewhere is testament to that. The Rover brand will never be seen again, Ford and BMW have seen to that; shameful, not that they care.
So Ford bought the Rover name, I wonder what for... ? Great video :)
Here's the real story:
Sometime after Rover bit the dust, Roewe emerged. Roewe was made from SAIC, which was also in a deal with MG. This is one of the few cars they made.
BMW ripped Rover apart and sold the Rover name for 1p crazy
The JV with Brilliance seemed a bit odd/probable nonstarter since they were mainly a van manufacturer who had started producing saloons which frankly weren't very good. However that didn't stop BMW starting a JV with them later. The rear boot line on the SAIC version was a Chinese stipulation - may not have been seen in UK models if MGR hadn't gone bust. It seems odd that the tourer/estate didn't go back into production - might have been an opportunity to do a CKD build in Longbridge a bit more sophisticated than the MG6 operation. I wonder how close Nanjing and SAIC were before the Chinese government told them to get together - period photos of engines for Nanjing and SAIC were identical in terms of labelling, etc. Might also be worth noting that the Chinese produced a modified version of the K series engine (N series?) which fixed a lot of the reliability issues it was previously noted for.
hiya tom, you forgot a little something, the mg6, ive got one, all the wiring, floor pan, engine bay, etc, is all rover 75!
The floor pan isn't!
Only the front subframe was used.
AutoCar magazine at the time had both a 75 and MG6 up on ramps to compare and concluded that the MG6 ne Roewe 550 was a new platform.
@@martynmorris8160 good for them, but i was a rover fitter from 15 back in 1989 and i can confirm that cutting 3 inchs out of the floor pan, does not making a new car! you`ll be saying a lamborghini isnt a vw with a body kit next :) lol
@@martynmorris8160 so total coincidence, they designed in, the same crap water drains, in the scuttle tray then? same wiring looms, same location and position for all fitings, same pattern of roof fittings, same runners for the seats, to fit into the same floor pan bosses, in fact all the same back to the z axle, which had to be redesigned, because that was bmw proprty. aaah yes, new car ;) lol
I would really like a Roewe 750
I’m not a fan of it, I do like the hybrid version where the front looks like the MK2
@@tomdrives Do you know if it is possible to import any of the chinese cars?
@@CortinasAndClassics No china only you. Can’t
A timeless classic in the same way as the Jaguar X-Type and the X350. I do prefer the X-Type even in its basic form (since we own a 75 Classic and have driven the entry version of the X-Type which has a better quality interior compared to the Brentford Nylon cloth that's used as the seat fabric.
The montego and maestro various rebrands is a good story
They also had a life after death several times, my plan is to work backwards so I’ll make a video on that soon as it’s an interesting story on its own
I live in Argentina and drive a 1979 rover 623si.
Are parts still been made for these cars
Indeed they are. DMGRS do most parts & are having certain ones remanufactured. Another supplier is Rimmer Bros & also Xpart.
LOL @2:29, the badge says B8, more like a BATE copy. haha
I guess thats good news for anyone looking for spare parts.
It is Bob, there’s loads available
The Rover 75 would have sold very well in the U.S.
The mistakes made by the British auto industry is mind-boggling!!!!!
Great video, would love to see one on Project Drive.
Incidentally, 'Roewe' isn't pronounced "Row-ee" (though it should be), it's actually pronounced "Rover", because the W is pronounced as a V. SAIC couldn't use the Rover name, so came up with Roewe.
It’s saic there isn’t have a v in it
I have a 600 and feel like it is hardly talked about. I will sadly sell my '96 2.0 Ti (only 120k km), in favor of a 2005 Renault Laguna V6. Will miss the car and it's pressence a lot. I just cant justify the prices of importing the spare parts straight from Brittain!
Hi Tom. How can I get in touch with you.
Hi Angus, I’ve got an email in the channel description you can use
I bought an ex Demonstrator 75 Connoisseur Tourer straight from a dealer. WHY THE HELL DID I SELL IT? Bloody wonderful car, comfortable, roomy and a joy to drive. The bloke that bought it from me is still driving it now. What a Dickhead I was!!
If MG Rover had continued to exist any 25/ZR and 75/ZT models built at Longbridge would have been under licence from SAIC!
I loved the 75
I want one best looking Rover 75 ever
Nice🇸🇦
I hope not with k sires engine that blows a head gasket.?
Surabaya
Where are all the billionaires when you need them? If I were Dick Branston I would resurrect Rover now.
Rowvee Wrong Way! Ford mocked it and said "wrong way" LOL
I think, SAIC only bought MG Rover's assets back then for only 2 reasons. The first reason was that they want MG Rover's technology especially the 75's platform to make their own cars. The second and more important one was that they want to be able to claim that their car is "not Chinese" but "British". I think they succeed in this regard. In my country of Thailand when SAIC began selling cars here, they made their customers to believe that the new MG cars was British. If you tell an MG's owner/driver back then that the new MG6 WASN'T a british car, they would skin you alive!
The MG6 which itself stems from the Roewe 550 was a British designed and engineered car, by the then Ricardo in Lemington Spa!
@@martynmorris8160 Yes, I have heard that it used the Rover 75's front subframe.
@@cwfqayin it did, purely because it used the K Series based engine.
My 75 has done 219,000 miles. M.
Total shame, had x2 Rovers and had both a long time without issues last one I had I sold in 2020 great cars, phoenix 4 and bmw all contributed to its fall and Chinese in end.. they should all hang their head in shame.
The then Government of the time played a very harmful part in the Company's demise. Not a mention of that in this item. I wonder why.
@@T16MGJ very true, the pm of that time has a lot to answer for including companies that sunk under their watch.
They've ruined the back end and eliminated its timeless lines...
Well rover were turned down by the chinese on a deal but it was obvious if the chinese wanted something they would just rip it off anyhow .
Probably better?!
The Borrower is Servant of the Lender.When the car maker is bankrupt, then you have to pay the piper. China's win!
Never a true story told, they should of been questioned by law over the handling of everything they did and didn't do. I wonder if they're still alive those cowboys, probably sitting somewhere sunny all year round.
Bmw ruined rover. Asset stripped it for a new mini and land Rover ranges.
Nope
Not sure if it’s true but I watched a documentary about the Phoenix 4 and it said the Chinese buyers deliberately got the Phoenix 4 drunk before signing away all of Rovers assets on the dotted line. The Chinese buyers acted like they were drunk to encourage the Phoenix 4 to get more drunk but the Chinese buyers weren’t as drunk as they appeared to be, before walking away with the intellectual rights of Rover. How sad is that, when Rover was acquired underhandedly. I realise Business can be ruthless but that is damn right sneaky and sly. If the Chinese version of the Rover 75 fell from Grace, it deserved to because of karma. Having said that, it’s good to see in the U.K, in Europe and China the Rover 75 has a cult following that is growing from strength to strength. 🇬🇧
That car show footage was recorded by the worst cameraman in history
British cars are not the rubbish that is often claimed. If they were such rubbish why were they continued in other countries? BMW started on a licence to build Austins.
The Rover 75 was the best car Leyland, Rover, Austin, Whatever!! Built, cruelly lampooned by the misguided British🙄 ah. hem!! Foreign press!!
Clearly if you sell your main assets (licenses/intellectual property) for 10% of their value - the company balance sheet/ value is completely destroyed. Plus there is no reason for anyone to buy the company then - you have what you wanted. Wait for the inevitable bankruptcy, grab anything left for a bargain. Think your analysis is fundamentally correct. And of course, the directors have already secured/ring fenced money for themselves. Disgraceful… MGRover was not destroyed by workers, unions, or government- but corporate asset stripping. First BMW - grabbing Mini and Land Rover technology/designs - then Phoenix 4 scavenging the remains.
You are clearly very bitter about this and you seem to want to blame NAC (siac) and Chinese. Your wrong, your anger should be directed at uk government and phoenix group of director who did not have a clue about auto manufacturing or negotiating with very clever well educated business men. I had the privilage of driving these siac car and i can tell oce. The chinese made the 75 great again
Another lesson here: Don't trust the Chinese.
Roewe is just a knock-off of Rover itself while essentially making the same cars, without the rights holders of Rover consent.
Most counterfeit Chinese cars are utter crap. Why some of them continue to old engine designs is interesting though.
All engine designs are old. Nothing really new. Basically the same since year dot.
If what you say is true, how come down my street of over one hundred houses, there are FIVE new Chinese MGs. Two pure EV MG5s and three Hybrids. Not only that, they stand where previously Mercedes, Lexus and BMWs stood parked. Think about that.
When out and about in the UK, they are everywhere in good numbers now. Indeed, registrations in January 2023 showed the MG Hybrid as the mort numerous.
Me being me, I speak to my neighbours about their Chinese MGs. They like them.
Whinging video and a naive view of events.
The Roewe was the ONLY good looking car in the Roewe line up, the rest were trajic looking Asio-bland plastic blobs
No
@@louisbeerreviews8964 No what?