[Windy]

MG ZR = Rebadged Rover 25 owned by SAIC
MG ZS = Rebagded Civic owned by Honda
MG ZT = Rebagded Rover 75 owned by SAIC

Real_I_Hate_China - you should check your facts more carefully before making accusing people of things they haven't yet done and have no intention of doing.

First, my understanding, which may not be entirely accurate, is that SAIC do not own the MG ZR or ZT, they simply have rights to build their own designs based on the old mark 1 Rover versions, the designs for the MG ZR and MG ZT as well as the Rover 25 and 75 are owned by Nanjing.

As for the MG ZS, Honda do I believe have some rights to certain parts since during the development of the Honda Domani and Rover 400, Honda and Rover worked together on the designs (starting from a Civic design as the base). However since Honda never stopped MG Rover building the cars why would they stop Nanjing making the cars. I have heared that Nanjing and Honda have had talks and come to an agreement about this.

The MG ZS looks like this: (Not much like a "Rebadged Honda Civic" to my eyes!)

It doesn't drive much like a "Rebadged Honda Civic" either - I know, I have one.


Thanks to http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?hhrzsgalleryf.htm for the images.

 

[Windy]

The only difference between the models is that the MGs are tuned for performance, in contrast to the Rovers which are tuned for comfort.

Thats not the only difference, I have looked at the parts list for the Rover 45 and compared it to the parts list for the MG ZS, they do share a lot of parts but there are literaly hundreds of parts that are different. Engine, wheels, seats, suspension, brakes, stearing rack ... gear selector, bumpers, side skirts ... and of course the badges!

 

[Windy]

Surely, hundred parts out of thousand parts amount to only 10% difference, right? A classic badge engineering. Honda owns Rover 45/MG ZS, case closed.

Out of all your thousands of parts, how many do you think Honda own? They certanly don't own the engine, or any of the others I listed. Maybe they just own 1 part - the bodyshell and maybe they don't even fully own that - remember it was a joint development with Rover? I don't know the answer.

I agree that most of the thousands of nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners are indeed used in both models but I consider them irrelevant compared to say the engine - and the Rover 45 never had a 2.5litre quad cam 24 valve V6 with variable geometry induction system or the suspension system, braking system etc to cope with it. Most came with a simple 1.4L engine.

 

[Windy]

I thought that I read somewhere on the MG-Rover.org forums that Nanjing would be able to build either the 4 or 5 door (I can't recall which) 45/ZS but that Honda had all the rights to the other bodystyle. Does anyone else (Windy?) remember this?

Yes chabbu, it would have been the 4 door since as far as I know there never was a Civic saloon. Also a 4 door would also be what the Chinese people would want to buy, and I guess the people of the USA too. The 4 door is the red one I posted pictures of above.

I don't know if that story was true though - seems a little unlikely to me.

Once again, I have seen a report containing a statement from someone important at Nanjing saying that they have talked to Honda and there is no problem.

And by the way Real_I_Hate_China, Honda didn't take the drawings from Longbridge - they burned them!

SAIC spead a lot of gossip about who owned the IP, most of it was untrue.

 

[Windy]

Some facts concerning MG Rover.

If those are facts then you will be able to prove them...

Here is an example of a fact for you - The IP for BMW's first car belonged to Austin (Now Nanjing) and was licensed to BMW.