News digest
Compiled by Clive Goldthorp
1) Jaguar and Land Rover
Land Rover plans new seven-seater
Julian Rendell, just-auto.com 24th June, 2008
As well as LRX, there will be a new addition to the Land Rover line-up - a seven-seater.
Land Rover is planning an eighth model line for launch in 2012
helping to boost output at its Halewood plant near Liverpool and cementing the
ownership of Tata Motors. Project L486 is a platform variant of the Freelander
and will have its own unique sheet metal and interior. The key change is a longer
wheelbase and wider body to provide sufficient interior space for the model's
seven seats.
It may be named Ventura, a reference to the county north of Los
Angeles. Land Rover has trialled this name previously, but not chosen to use
it in production. [It was used by GM's Pontiac division from 1960-1977 -
ed.] The launch of the seven-seat Ventura will give Land Rover a jump up
on key rivals Audi, BMW and Mercedes who have just launched five-seat 'soft-
roaders'. The Ventura will occupy an emerging market slot in Europe, but also
battle an existing segment in the US, where seven seat, light duty SUVs like
the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot are better established.
Engines are expected to be drawn from the Freelander family with
the focus on four cylinder two- and 2.2-litre diesels. Gearbox options are expected
to include the new Getrag dual-clutch transmission recently launched by Ford
and Volvo. The Ventura is hugely important to the future of Halewood. It is
being planned around production volume of 70,000 units a year, the same as the
small, five-seat urban SUV, the LRX, also known as Project L405.
The LRX will be Land Rover's sixth and seventh models in three-
and five-door form when launched in 2010. If the Freelander can maintain its
current 70,000 units a year, Halewood will be making 210,000 cars a year, nearly
double its current output. Halewood has struggled to break even on its current
mix of Freelander and Jaguar X-type, output currently averaging around 100,000
cars a year. The LRX is expected to replace the X-type in 2010.
Ventura may take on a bigger significance in the US where Land
Rover is understood to be studying whether the seven-seater might replace the
Freelander. That would sort the naming conundrum in the US, where the Freelander
is badged LR2 and the Discovery LR3. In size terms the Ventura is an LR2.5 -
a name unlikely to make production.
2) SAIC Motor MG/Roewe
MG3 SW - Finally launched!
China Car Times 23rd June, 2008
After much deliberation and delays from Nanjing MG, the MG 3SW
(Streetwise) has finally gone on the market. The MG3 SW will come to the market
with a 1.4l (102bhp) or a 1.8l (118bhp) engine, the MG3 SW will be priced from
80,000rmb to 120,000rmb depending on specification.
The MG3 SW has already received positive reviews from Chinese automobile
media outlets, who gave high praise to the 1.8l engine, but negative comments
were aimed at the quality and fit of interior plastics. MG plan to launch an
entirely new model A-Segment car in mid to late 2009, and then bring out new
models every year until 2011
After the Roewe 550, what’s next?
China Car Times 23rd June, 2008
In a recent interview with The Daily Economic News, SAIC’s
General Manager, Wang Shao Qiu, revealed that SAIC will be entering the A-segment
of the market with the Roewe brand, which echoes what MG’s Yang Jun Hu
said in a previous interview. Wang Shao Qiu went onto say that the 2.5 V6 Roewe
750 sold 16,000 vehicles since going on the market and (there is) a waiting
list of 7000 people for the recently launched Roewe 550 1.8Turbo model. Mr Wang
also revealed further plans for a naturally aspirated 1.8 550.
Mr. Wang also speculated that Roewe will launch either a Roewe
350, or a 250 depending on the market requirements and what Roewe customers
require in a car.