Roewe 550: Picking Up Where MG / Rover Left Off

With Auto China 2008 taking place this weekend, the multitude of Chinese

The Roewe 550 is an impressive looking small car; it should do well in its home market. (Photo: Roewe)

automakers have been busy wheeling out fresh new models for the public to see. Other major players like Audi and Mercedes-Benz will be showing production models in what is one of the world's quickest-growing automotive markets.

One vehicle that's caught many an eye is Roewe's brand new 550. Roewe, for those not in the know, is the brand that resulted in the sale of MG/Rover intellectual property to SAIC, without the rights to the Rover brand name. After relaunching Rover's 75 as the 750 and the 25 as the 250, the brand is getting ready to launch the 550, which will slot between the two models.

Engineered by British engineering firm Ricardo, the 550 is quite possibly the best looking vehicle to emerge from China since the Brilliance BS9 two years back. However, the real progress is the interior, where the Roewe shines. It

We've never seen an interior like this from a Chinese-designed car before. (Photo: Roewe)

features a dual-cowl instrument panel with a colorful semi-digital display, bright TFT screen and controls that are not unlike what can be found on the new Honda Accord. Power is provided by a 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four, which is derived from an existing Rover powertrain, and the platform the 550 rides on is essentially a shortened version of the Rover 75, which was engineered by BMW.

Roewe intends on selling its products in Europe through the SsangYong dealer network, which is also owned by SAIC. Should it sell well, we could certainly see Roewe setting up shop here in North America.

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