Ricardo name check
I wouldn't necessarily expect to see the Roewe 750 on UK streets in anything other than prototype form. SAIC's sales strategy for Europe has not been at all clear. Apart from the investment they made over at Ricardo's office in Leamington to develop a new model based on the R40 platform (Rover 75 to you) their presence here has been a bit sporadic, to say the least.
Whether the now rather old underpinnings they are reportedly developing will work in this iteration is going to be worth watching. The R40 platform is extremely good; it's a very strong base but on the weighty side. The 75 got a mixed review from UK press after an initial barnstorming start, caused mainly by the then BMW boss Bernd Pischetsrieder committing a massive PR gaff at the launch. The MG ZT iteration got a much better review but sales never really recovered from the parent's torpedoes and it struggled on before finally dying with the closure of the factory, moving East to be reborn. It was a misunderstood car not helped, if one is to be honest, by a very pretty but distinctly retro look about it and a setup that promoted a relaxing ride instead of the then current fashion for sportiness.
Engineering firm Ricardo have finally got a bit of a name check here too - and not before time really. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have been using their services for a while now as they were desperately trying to get a hybrid off the ground to counter the change in consumer perception os large, rumbling off-roaders. Business has been pretty good for them in this field.
On a last point, the plans at Longbridge are a bit murky right now. SAIC are shuffling round the place, leaving some sections that they had previously rented. In fact their stay in some parts has gone over the agreed periods, and exactly what will happen to their presence remains up in the air. The MG TF is already being produced there, albeit in CKD form, but numbers remain unsold, holding up plans for any further development of the site as the recession bites globally.