[ROVERNET - UK] Rover brand name sold

[Glen Wilson]

For me, Hyundai came to mind. First, they produced Cortinas for Ford 
under license. Later cars like the Excel entered the USA market and 
relied heavily on Mitsubishi components that were a considered obsolete 
by Mitsubishi. The initial quality was terrible, but they hung in there 
and invested in their product. Now, they offer a long warranty have have 
a pretty good reputation in the USA. I think that a car that is somewhat 
long in the tooth would sell okay in the USA as long as the price is low 
enough to set them apart. Hyundais fist offerings in the USA were in the 
$7,000 range, which put them in competition with used cars with 
substantial mileage on them. People then had a choice between a used car 
and a brand new Hyundai, and that worked.

I don't know if even a dated Rover design can be produced cheaply enough 
to offer a similar price advantage, but the company certainly bought 
Rover at clearance prices and never had to shell out for the development 
expenses. If they were produced in China for Chinese wages, they could 
do it. Making cars in the UK and USA will be much less profitable, I 
would think.

I just wonder what it will be like driving classic Rovers in the USA if 
the Chinese use the Rover name here. The general population is confused 
enough about what old Rovers are.

Glen