[ROVERNET - UK] Rover brand name sold

[David Walker]

Yes,they did make Cortinas ,the Mk4,which model was replaced by the first
Stellar,RWD,with styling by Guigiaro's Ital Design(looking very like the
then Maserati Quattroporte).This model was replaced by a new FWD
Stellar,which has now evolved into todays Sonata.Having driven both the
current Sonata and the (current/last?) Rover 75 I consider the Rover to be
the better car with a much higher quality interior,nicer steering and a
better ride while still offering  better handling.If the Chinese can make
the car to the same(BMW quality)standard they will sell well.    ;-)
David.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ali Al-Abbasi" <alialabbasi at hotmail.com>
To: <rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 10:58 PM
Subject: Re: [ROVERNET - UK] Rover brand name sold


> Did they really produce Cortina's? I don't know about that. I know they
made
> a model called the Stella which was compared to a Cortina many times over.
> But it wasn't a Cortina. The Stella was a FWD car and a Cortina was RWD.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Glen Wilson" <rovercar at comcast.net>
> To: <rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 4:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [ROVERNET - UK] Rover brand name sold
>
>
> > 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
> >
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>
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