China Watch : Roewe 750 goes hybrid

Keith Adams

Roewe 750 Hybrid
MY11 Roewe 750 Hybrid

The Roewe 750 Hybrid was greeted with a fair degree of scepticism here in the UK when SAIC Motor first unveiled the car at the Beijng Auto Show back in 2007. How could a company that had only just managed to put the ex-Rover 75 into production already be considering introducing a petrol/electric hybrid? However, Roewe’s (and now MG’s) parent company knuckled down and developed the exciting new variation.

Three years on, and the car is ready for introduction at the Guangzhou Auto Show – and joins a rapidly expanding market sector ahead of much of its European opposition. SAIC Motor is working with corporate partner GM on the hybrid system, which is very closely related to the American giant’s own system supplied by American auto parts supplier Delphi. SAIC Motor’s intention is for the hybrid system to boost fuel consumption and emissions improvements by around 20 per cent.

Interestingly, the arrival of the 750 Hybrid also ushers in a light facelift for all MY11 Roewe 750s. The front end styling has been revised to incorporate daytime running lights in larger clusters which include the awkward wing cut-out that has been part of the car’s styling since the original 75. More details as they emerge.

Roewe 750 facelift 2011
The facelifted MY11 Roewe 750
Roewe 750 facelift 2011
The facelifted MY11 Roewe 750
The facelifted MY11 Roewe 750
The facelifted MY11 Roewe 750

[Source: China Car Times]

Keith Adams

18 Comments

  1. I’m a bit surprised that these Chinese Roewe 750s haven’t made it out to the rest of the world – they can’t be too bad??? Alex.

  2. That’s the best variation of the old 75’s front end I have seen – it looks neat and imposing with hints of P5 and SD1.

    Chrysler’s Designers used Rover in their theme for the 300C IRC.

  3. I’ve always liked the look of the Rover 75/ Roewe 750 with the square grille. This facelift looks appealing. I also notice that the rear “Hybrid” badge looks identical to the “PureDrive” logo on some of Nissan’s UK models – a coincidence?

  4. why oh why have they not brought it back to the uk. I see the bonnet line is flush with the grill now better than mg rover days

  5. It’s a nice idea and the new light clusters look good. However, I am surprised there are not some comments coming from Toyota, because that Hybrid badge looks suspiciously Toyota-esque.

    I was impressed when I test drove the original 75 and it’s a car I would consider buying when it gets into my price range – it’s good to see that they are still being built somewhere.

  6. Awful! I think the massive, bland mass of headlight looks typically Asian with real thought for style or innovation – just a lame copy of the crap that Toyota and Nissan put out… Sad and embarrassing.

  7. A close-up with a wide angle lens is never going to look the most flattering – it does the same thing with people.

    Personally, I don’t think the 750 Hybrid looks bad at all. The front edge of the wing always annoyed me on the 75 – it looked like an afterthought and as if it was supposed to have the indicator there (like the Rover 45 had) but the Designers had then changed their minds. This finishes it off much better.

    It’s just a shame there are some small-minded individuals who post on here every time saying the same old thing. Steve, you really need to get a life…

  8. Dennis :A close-up with a wide angle lens is never going to look the most flattering – it does the same thing with people.

    Personally, I don’t think the 750 Hybrid looks bad at all. The front edge of the wing always annoyed me on the 75 – it looked like an afterthought and as if it was supposed to have the indicator there (like the Rover 45 had) but the Designers had then changed their minds. This finishes it off much better.

    It’s just a shame there are some small-minded individuals who post on here every time saying the same old thing. Steve, you really need to get a life…

    I must confess that I always liked the frontal edge of the Rover 75’s front wing. It conveyed an elegant flourish of the designer’s pencil that was free of constraint, rather than looking like it was generated on a soul-less computer.

  9. The worst-looking version of the 75 YET! Audi lights, are you serious? A Halfrauds special… The 75 is dead for me.

  10. I loved the 75 and this has a look of the V8 about it.

    I do think it’s a shame the original Roewe/MG versions of the 25/ZR and 75/ZT didn’t make it to Europe – they may have even got a ‘foot in the door’ with the old MGR customers who still hadn’t completely abandoned their loyalties at that time.

    Indeed, by doing that, SAIC Motor might have acquired a customer base for when the MG6 and MG3 are released here.

    I know it’s not much of an evolution from the last 75, but for me that’s part of its appeal.

    Maybe if they get some more cash they could try and buy or licence the Rover name, I think it is still the most appropriate badge for this car to wear.

  11. I like the idea of the new headlights, just not the way they’ve been executed – they look cheap.

    However, do them more professionally, revert to the 75 Mk2’s rear-end, stick with the Roewe interior, give it an impressive standard safety package, good equipment levels, a nice selection of Euro IV compliant engines: 1.8T, 2.0V6, 2.5V6, 2.0CDTi, fantastic build quality and paint finish, build in the UK, whack an MG badge on it and call it the MG 7, then market as a stylish compact executive car – a compromise between the BMW 3 Series and Ford Mondeo, with a “buy British, boost economy” pitch, priced at £14k to £20k and, well, I’d buy one…

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