MG & Roewe working on New Engines in China
MG and Roewe, both owned by the Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation (SAIC) are working on a range of engines in partnership with General Motors, which has the Shanghai-GM joint venture with SAIC.
The engines will be used in current and future Roewe and MG cars, and will also be used in future China-made Buicks and Chevrolets. The agreement is basically a license deal for SAIC to use GM’s new family of ‘Modular Ecotec Engines’ in various MG and Roewe branded cars.
The range will include a 1.0 turbo, a 1.2 turbo, a 1.4 turbo, and a 2.0 turbo. The first two engines will be used in the MG3 and in a future MG-branded mini car. The 1.4 turbo will be used in the MG5 and Roewe 350 and will eventually replace the current 1.5/1.5 turbo line-up.
The 1.4 turbo and the 2.0 turbo will be used in the Roewe 550 and the MG6, replacing the current 1.9/1.8 turbo line-up. The 2.0 turbo will also be used in the Roewe 950 and will replace the current 2.4/3.0V6 line-up. The Roewe 950 is based on the Buick Lacrosse.
Interestingly, the plans make no mention of new hybrid or electric power trains, indicating SAIC won’t launch anything green other than the half-experimental Roewe E50 EV.
Roewe 950.
