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The 24th October 2006 saw the first post-Rover 75 unveiled.
The Roewe 750E was Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation's take on the Rover 75, and was so-named after Ford decided to take up its option on the British marque name. Ricardo 2010 was closely involved with the development of the Chinese built car, and although the exterior styling was rather familiar, the interior had received a thorough updating.
Front view reveals few differences between the Roewe 750E and the Rover 75 with Premium grille. Note the new-style badging
Rear end has been modernised - the bootline is higher and the rear light clusters have been updated
Headlamps remain the same but indicators have been lightly altered.
Interior has been more radically updated, with new door cases and seats. The dashboard is all-new but retains a familar feel. Note the extended rear cabin space...
Work on the SAC528 had been instigated before the collapse of MG Rover in April 2005, and although the Anglo-Chinese programme received a set-back following the British company's fall into administration, teaming up with the Ricardo and hiring a number of ex-Longbridge engineers soon had the programme back on track.
SAIC's Roewe 750 sported a very familiar look when it was launched in October 2006, but under the skin, the new car had received a number of important changes. Co-developed with Ricardo2010 and featuring a 103mm longer wheelbase, the 750 range was announced with a range of ex-K Series engines. Available with the turbocharged 1.8-litre K-Series engine, now known as the 18K4G, and the 2.5-litre KV6, which had been renamed 25K4F.
Two frontal treatments were offered - the standard 750, and the 750E, pictured about with a full-depth 'Premium' grille that echoes the former 75 V8 first shown at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2004. Revised frontal styling and a rejigged rear end, are the main differences, and opinions were mixed on the effectiveness of the facelift. A heavily revised interior brought the car into the 21st century...
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Famously known in the British media as the 'Wrong Way' on account of the way Roewe is pronounced in Chinese, the new 750-Series emeged from China with very familiar styling.
Although most of SAIC's pre-launch publicity concentrated on the Premium fronted 'E' model, the standard 750 also featured a number of changes over its Rover 75 predecessor.
New front end looks subtlely different from the Rover 75.
The interior has been substantially changed from the Rover 75 and looks far more modern.
But how is it pronounced?
The new brand name, Roewe, appears similar to the Rover name that Shanghai Automotive attempted to buy from BMW last month. Ford, which now makes Land Rovers, exercised a right of first refusal and bought the name instead. Shanghai Automotive said the name is drawn from the German word loewe (lion), pronounced loh-vuh. That also is the name of a Spanish luxury-goods company, Loewe SA, a unit of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
The company suggests the English pronunciation should be transcribed roo-eevey or roo-ee (ru:ivi or reui, transcribing from the Chinese). The Chinese name for the brand is pronounced rong wei, which loosely translated means 'glorious power', but sounds similar in English to 'wrong way'.
