Roewe

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Roewe (in Chinese: 荣威; in Pinyin: Rongwei, English pronunciation: ['rəʊ-və], which is similar to the British pronunciation for "Rover") is an automobile marque created by the Chinese firm Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), to use on the cars it plans to build based on the MG Rover technology it has bought^[1].

The marque will appear first on the company's new version of the Rover 75, called Roewe 750. Roewe will be publicly launched at the November Motor Show in Beijing in 2006, where the revised 75 will be on display. The car is expected to be larger than the equivalent MG Rover model, but share some similar components such as parts of the interior and the engines^[2]. Over 30 new models are expected to be launched under the marque between 2006 and 2011, whilst 120,000 Roewe cars are expected to be produced by SAIC in 2007.

The use of the Roewe name is due to SAIC's inability to buy the rights to the Rover name from BMW due to Ford Motor Company exercising their option on the name. The Roewe name and badge were meant to be similar to the Rover name and badge because of this.

[edit] Pronunciation

The name Roewe, thought to have come from the words honour, lion, power and prestige, is supposed to be pronounced in a similar way to the sound of roo-eevey.