MG Rover's New Owners SAIC and Nanjing Dominate — and May Cooperate

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of China's dominant conglomerates, had a vast hall to itself at the Shanghai show. Much of it was devoted to the fruits of joint ventures with General Motors and Volkswagen — but a huge chunk was reserved for the Roewe 750, a revived Rover 75. Elsewhere at the show, Nanjing Auto presented its new MG7.

To show-goers, the Roewe 750 looked more promising and more accomplished than Nanjing's MG. Just before the show's opening, SAIC chairman Hu Maoyan told the Associated Press in an interview that his company is open to cooperation with Nanjing Auto.

SAIC showed it has big plans for the Roewe brand. The company displayed a hybrid version of the executive sedan as well as a concept car called the W2, which was designed by former MG-Rover designers in cooperation with SAIC engineers. Shanghai Auto targets adding a second model to the Roewe range by the end of this year, and the solid-looking package that was the W2 is a clear indication of the path the company is following.

SAIC plans to start export of the Roewe 750 next year to European countries, and the W2 may not be far behind.