[hazik]

Will SAIC buy Rover from BMW

Nanjing owns the MG brand, all the models from MGrover Nanjing builds will have use the MG brand. Will SAIC buy Rover so Nanjing will use MG and SAIC use rover. If they don't buy the Rover brand from BMW can they use a similar name like Rovver or Roverz or Roverr. Rolls Royce and Bentley make the same cars but Rolls Royce is owned by BMW and Bentley is owned by volkswagen/audi, the nanjing MG SAIC rover will be similar to rolls royce bentley.

 

[MartinW]

Is this true? I have seen posts elsewhere quoting the Birmingham News that say that SAIC have secured the Rover brand for US$21 or thereabouts.

 

[AXLE]

I believe they did, check this thread mate

http://www.chinacarforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=767

 

[MartinW]

I should have said US$21million, of course! Thanks, Axle, I had seen that post but wasn't sure as it said reports elsewhere. Our Birmingham News reports a similar story but it seems strangely quiet on all the news releases if this is official. The trouble with the UK press is that they are quick to report rumour rather than substantiated fact - part of the problem relating to the discussions with SAIC in the first place - they were not too keen on the publicity that was surrounding their talks.

Axle, I see you are in Adelaide, and I gather from another post that NAC-MG (Nanjing) have apparently been in talks with HSV - do you know anything more from your part of the world?

 

[AXLE]

Nope, haven't heard anything about Nanjing and HSV doing buisiness together. HSV (Holden Special Vehicles), since its conception, has mainly focused on Holden branded vehicles so for me it would be strange to hear that they would do tuning for an outside company, but you never know.

 

[phaeton]

HSV is part owned by TWR who I think do engineering for other Auto brands.

So TWR may be doing some engineering projects for SAIC.

HSV History - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Special_Vehicles

 

[MartinW]

Oh dear, TWR! Part of the reason MG Rover went pear shaped - they did much of the work here in the UK on the 45 replacement until TWR went into receivership a few years ago meaning all the work done was on hold for a while before being brought in-house.

Anyway, I will keep searching for more definite news of the brand and whether BMW have sold it. I'll let you know if I see anything for definite in teh way of a press release.

 

[MartinW]

On Brit-Car forums this has been posted...it may explain the lack of news reports.

(The Birmingham Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Shanghai Automotive - one of the failed bidders for MG Rover - has bought the Rover name for pounds 11.5 million.

Shanghai will announce this month it has bought the right to use the marque from BMW, which kept rights to the name after it pulled out of Rover in 2000.

BMW last night denied a sale, but The Birmingham Post understands a press conference will take place on August 22. A new badge has been designed.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) beat off competition for the name from Nanjing Automobile, the company which bought the assets of the Longbridge firm for pounds 53 million last year.

The name is likely to be used on the new Rover 25s and 75s SAIC plans to produce this year. A stretch version of the Rover 75 is also planned by SAIC, which won intellectual property rights to the cars.

The Shanghai enterprise, which has worked with General Motors and Volkswagen, plans to invest pounds 900 million to launch 30 models with its own technology over five years.

An industry insider said: "Nanjing really wanted the brand, but only offered pounds 500,000 because they didn't think BMW would sell to someone else. Nanjing thought they should have got it because they are at Long bridge and are carrying on the tradition. It is a UK name and part of the UK motoring heritage, they never thought BMW would dare sell to anyone else.

"Nanjing thought there would be pressure from press and public to keep the Rover name here, but it never happened. SAIC wants to sell cars on the international market and must have an international brand."

Peter Cooke, professor of automotive industry management at Nottingham Business School, said: "It would be logical for Shanghai to buy the Rover name as they have aspirations to get into Europe, although how strong the name is after all the years in the mire is another matter.

"Rover is a global brand and the Chinese are obsessional about brands. It is a high price, but brands are worth a lot of money and take a long time to build up. This is a brand that is available and could kick start their plans to sell internationally."

 

[mgrovernut]

I wonder if SsangYong will be renamed Rover in Europe. It would be a good move IMHO as SsangYong doesn't sound very good over here and because rover is a recognised brand. Also the link with Land Rover would be helpfull...

 

[MartinW]

One of the restrictions BMW imposed on Phoenix when they were licensed to use the Rover name was that it could not be used on a 4x4. This was at Ford's insistence because in the USA, most people call a Land Rover a Rover. Ford had right of first refusal were BMW ever to sell the Rover brand, but presumably with Ford entrenched in its own problems they were unable to protect the Land Rover brand. I assume that the sale of the Rover name to SAIC will not be with any restrictions on how it is used.
I wonder if BMW will now sell off the Riley and Triumph names it still owns. There was talk in the late 90s of a slightly sportier 75 to be badged as a Riley, and then this year there were rumours about a MINI floorpan being used for a small Triumph sportscar, but ntohing further happened, I think BMW decided not to go ahead with the Triumph idea. Triumph, in this case, refers to the cars, and is nothing to do Triumph motorcycles.

 

[mgrovernut]

To be honest I can't see Rover selling in the UK very well because many people who were loyal Rover buyers simple won't buy a Rover unless there is some production in the UK. If they really want a "75" then they will buy the MG version because Nanjing are respecting the identity of the brand buy building the TF here. In addition the MG badge means residuals will be better.

SAIC really need to go on a PR excercise in Britain or Rover will sell less cars than Proton...

 

[hazik]

Proton is selling in the UK? What about TATA. Do they pass crash and emission tests.

 

[MartinW]

SAIC lose out to Ford on Rover name

Latest news in the last couple of hours is that Ford have decided to exercise their right to buy the Rover brand from BMW. It appears to be a move simply to protect the Land Rover brand as most Americans refer to their Land Rover as a Rover and don't appreciate that a Rover is a passenger car, not a 4x4.

 

[erik (laofan) cmvdc]

rover name

Hi Martin, this is really bad news for Shanghai. It is also bad news for all those Rover dealers in the world who hoped to switch to Shanghai Rover products, keeping the Rover name.
What to do now? Old Shanghai names are FENGHUANG (Phoenix) and SHANGHAI. I understand the Central Government is nowadays against the use of city and province names for consumer products.
Or LUSHENG, as the Chinese name of the 75 is going to be?

 

[Windy]

Looks like they will call them Dragons! :nono:

http://auto.sohu.com/20060913/n245316983.shtml

 

[phaeton]

WOW SAIC won't be to happy with this result.

As for calling a Rover a Dragon I'm sorry its not British.

 

[MartinW]

Using the name Phoenix would be a little ironic! Given the fact that Pheonix Venture Holdings burnt the company to the ashes!

Thanks for the update, Windy.

 

[Windy]

Note that Ssangyong (Owned by SAIC) means "Twin Dragons" in Malaysian so there will be a family connection if that article is correct.

Can't wait to see the dragonboat badge to replace Rovers longboat badge!

 

[Seamaster]

SAIC "unfazed by failed Rover bid"

Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal.

SAIC unfazed by failed Rover bid
The Wall Street Journal Asia
Wednesday September 20th, 2006
(c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

BEIJING — SAIC Motor Corp., the Chinese partner of U.S. auto maker General Motors Corp., said the failure to buy the Rover name won't derail plans to develop its own car brand. German luxury-car maker BMW AG said it would sell the Rover brand to Ford Motor Co. after the U.S. company expressed the need Monday to own the trademark for its Land Rover business.

The news is another setback for SAIC in its effort to produce its own brand of cars after losing to Chinese rival Nanjing Automobile Group to acquire the U.K.'s MG Rover Group Ltd. last year.

The Shanghai auto group, which also has a joint venture with Germany's Volkswagen AG, still owns the intellectual-property rights to two Rover models, the 25 and 75.

Zhu Xiangjun, a spokeswoman for SAIC, said any failure to buy the Rover brand wouldn't "hurt the production of [SAIC's] own brand cars. We will launch our own brand car in the fourth quarter as scheduled."

SAIC set up SAIC Motor Manufacturing Co. this year to develop of its own brand cars, using technology bought from MG Rover Group last year.

Ford said Monday it would buy the Rover name from BMW, which sold the Land Rover sport-utility vehicle business to Ford in 2000. Ford was granted the right of first refusal for the Rover name when the deal was signed.

"We can confirm that Ford is making use of their right of first refusal regarding the sale of the Rover trademark," BMW spokesman Marc Hassinger said.

According to the contract signed in 2000, if Ford wishes to buy the brand name, BMW has to sell it, Mr. Hassinger said, adding that a deal would be signed soon. He declined to disclose details.

Kenneth Hsu, a spokesman for Ford Motor China, said the U.S. auto maker deemed the Rover brand important for Land Rover's "brand integrity and future development." He declined to disclose the price Ford will pay for the brand.

Mr. Hsu said the deal is part of the U.S. company's "global consideration," but Ford doesn't have a plan "for now" to make Land Rovers in China.

Jia Xinguang, chief analyst at China National Automotive Industry Consulting & Developing Corp., said buying the Rover brand would have helped boost SAIC-brand car sales in China. But SAIC may "not necessarily" be hurt by its failure to buy the trademark if the Chinese company is able to promote its own brand successfully, he said.

 

[Raul]

Director of Communications at SAIC, Huang Huaqiong in interview. Google translation:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Ford will purchase Rover trademark light, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation is expected to be in before it?

A : We are more than prepared Rover vehicle production package, which should also include the acquisition of Rover by Ford after the reserve program. Rover brands in the overseas for the promotion of the well-known benefits to a certain extent, but in the final analysis, it can create name influence, the key is still to see the quality of their products and services after 2:00 SAIC now fully equipped.

2. Rover lost the trademark, as a model of a Rover 75 car models, the first brand SAIC, will lower its market position?

A: Definitely not. Our position is a high-class vehicle models, but we have a Russian vehicle production of the Rover 75 to greater than the original. Moreover, many consumers are aware, the Rover 75 have their own positions on relatively high, even in the absence of the Rover trademark, we will maintain our position will not change our direction.

3. SAIC is the first direct link between the vehicle linked to SAIC SAIC signs of self-brand or trademark? It has been reported that before the SAIC brand called "Road Q," Is it true?

A : This is certainly not true. Since we established for SAIC certainly is a familiar brand name, like "Q Road" by the name of "Q", and many people do not even know you read it, we will never use this name. It can tell you these things because we need a brand.

4. Beijing auto show in November, SAIC What action?

A : We will release it in October of the new brand, and the Beijing auto show in November, we will carry brand-new car models to exhibitors. SAIC and the new year will be a comprehensive listing vehicle sales, although specific price and time to market is not disclosed, I believe it is a competitive price.