Rover Group
Encyclopedia
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British
state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace
from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW
, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG Rover Group
.
. It sold well among buyers in the executive market, with a facelift in 1991 keeping its appeal reasonably fresh. However, it stagnated after a replacement targeted for the 1992 model year was cancelled. Many of its duties as a flagship were performed by the 600. By its demise in late 1998, it was looking considerably dated.
The Rover Group's first significant new car launch was the Rover 200, which was introduced in October 1989. Unlike its predecessor, it was a three- or five-door hatchback instead of a four-door saloon. It used a new range of 16-valve K Series petrol engines as well as a Peugeot
1.9 diesel and 1.8 turbodiesel both fitted to the Phase 1 Peugeot 405. Sales were stronger than its successors, and its launch coincided with a winding-down in production of the similarly-sized Maestro
, which finally ceased production at the end of 1994 having spent the final years of its life as a budget alternative to the more upmarket Rover 200. Coupe and cabriolet versions of the 200 were later sold, and these were sold alongside the all-new 1995 model and continued until that model was upgraded to become the Rover 25 in 1999. The 1989 Rover 200 was a strong seller throughout its life and its successor continued this trend, though its final year of production (1999) saw a significant dip in sales. These strong sales were not as high as the ever-popular Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra
. The Rover 200 had actually been around since 1988 as the Longbridge-built
Honda Concerto
, which offered a higher level of equipment but only achieved a fraction of its sales.
and Vauxhall Cavalier
, but was never able to match the success of these cars. An estate version of the 400 was launched in 1994, and continued alongside the all-new Honda Civic-based
model that was launched the following year. The 1995 Rover 400 was a more substantial and popular alternative to other large family cars than its successor was, offering impressive equipment levels, but a relative shortage of interior space because it was nearer in size to cars in the next category down. The Rover 400 was facelifted in 1999 to become the Rover 45, and at the same time the estate version of the original 400 was dropped.
May 1990 saw Rover give the decade-old Metro a major reworking, which most notably included internal and external restyling, as well as new 1.1 and 1.4 K-Series petrol engines. The new Metro offered some of the best standards of specification in any supermini at the time, and it sold well until being replaced by the Rover 100
(essentially another update of the original 1980 design) in late 1994. The Rover 100 remained in production for three years, selling reasonably well, until it was discontinued after a dismal crash test performance that saw demand fall dramatically.
Rover entered the compact executive market in March 1993 with its 600
range. Sold as a four-door saloon, the 600 was based on the Honda Accord
but used Rover engines as well as Honda engines (Honda used Rover's diesel engine in their European Accord) and had a classier interior. It was very popular in the compact executive market, but could not match the ever-popular BMW 3 Series
.
arm of the Rover Group expanded dramatically after the late 1980s. The Ninety/One Ten models received minor equipment and driveline upgrades and sales began to improve after a severe and near-terminal decline in the early part of the decade. The Range Rover enjoyed increased sales following its repositioning as a luxury vehicle, with higher equipment levels and options such as an automatic transmission
and a diesel engine
option being offered for the first time. The successful Discovery
'family' 4x4 was launched in 1989 and became Europe's top-selling 4x4 within 18 months. The Discovery brought with it an advanced diesel engine, which was soon fitted to the other models in the range. This period saw Land Rover rationalise its operations, closing down satellite factories and increasing parts-sharing between models (axles, transmissions and engines were all shared, and the Discovery used the same chassis
and many body panels as the Range Rover
. The Ninety/One Ten range was fitted with the new diesel engine and renamed the Defender in 1990. An all-new Range Rover
was launched in 1994, together with an improved Discovery which maintained high sales. A fourth model, the 'mini-SUV' Freelander
was introduced in 1998 and replaced the Discovery as Europe's best-selling 4x4 vehicle.
badge-engineering project (first implemented by Austin Rover in 1982) was ended in 1991 despite some reasonable success for its Maestro
and Montego
ranges (the MG Metro had been discontinued after the facelift in 1990). The MG badge was revived in 1992 on the RV8 - an updated MGB
which made use of a 3.9 V8 Range Rover
power unit, but lacked modern refinements that were expected in similarly-priced sports car of its era. The car didn't sell as strongly as earlier MG sports car, and production had ended by 1995.
The "real" rebirth of MG sports cars occurred in 1995, when the MG F
was launched. Powered by a 1.8 16-valve mid-mounted engine, it was an instant hit with buyers thanks to its distinctive styling and excellent ride and handling. It was a huge success in the roadster renaissance of the late 1990s, despite some buyers being let down by lacklusture build quality and reliability.
of Canadian
Graham Day
to the position of Chairman and Managing Director of BL.
After divesting of its commercial vehicle and bus manufacturing divisions the company then consisted of the car manufacturing arm Austin Rover Group
and the Land Rover Group
. This group was privatised in 1988 by the sale of the company to British Aerospace
(BAe) for £150 million, who retained Day as joint CEO/Chairman, and made Kevin Morley
MD of Rover cars. The Group changed its name again in 1989 to Rover Group Holdings Limited.
On 31 January 1994 BAe sold the company on to German
vehicle manufacturer BMW
for £800 million (a takeover which caused uproar in the House of Commons), the name changing again in 1995 to BMW (UK) Holdings Limited.
Millions of pounds of investment by BMW failed to turn the company into profit. It has been estimated that the entire Rover bankruptcy cost BMW fifteen billion Marks. In March 2000, BMW
announced its plans to sell the Rover Group. Within two months, the sale of the group had been completed. After negotiations with Alchemy Partners
broke down, the Rover and MG car business was purchased by the Phoenix Consortium, who continued to build cars at the Longbridge plant
- including the original Mini for the final few months of its 41-year production life. The business operated as MG Rover Group
, with ownership of the Rover brand being retained by BMW but licensed to MG Rover. Land Rover
was sold to the Ford Motor Company
, while BMW retained the rights to build the new MINI
that was due for a launch a year later. BMW also retained the rights to the Riley and Triumph
marques, in a bid to stop competition of its sports saloon car image.
Land-Rover was subsequently sold by Ford to TATA Motors
; the rights to the Rover brand name are now owned by TATA Motors of India, owners of both Land-Rover and Jaguar - in addition TATA Motors also own Daimler
and Lanchester
brands.
After a financial crisis and talks of acquisition or investment by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation failed in early 2005, the MG Rover Group went into receivership. After liquidation
, SAIC ended up with ownership of the rights to the Rover 75 (though not under that name), as well as rights to the Austin
, Morris
, and Wolseley
marques. Nanjing Automobile Corporation bought the rights to the MG name. In December 2007, Nanjing and SAIC announced their merger, thus reuniting many of the marques of the former Austin Rover group.
football team Dundee United during the early to mid 1990s
, including their Scottish FA Cup
triumph in 1994.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG Rover Group
MG Rover Group
MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
.
Rover 800 series
Although the Rover 800 went on sale shortly after Austin Rover became the Rover Group, it had actually been developed entirely by Austin Rover and was a result of the final new model development by BL - it was developed in conjunction with HondaHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
. It sold well among buyers in the executive market, with a facelift in 1991 keeping its appeal reasonably fresh. However, it stagnated after a replacement targeted for the 1992 model year was cancelled. Many of its duties as a flagship were performed by the 600. By its demise in late 1998, it was looking considerably dated.
Rover 200 series
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
1.9 diesel and 1.8 turbodiesel both fitted to the Phase 1 Peugeot 405. Sales were stronger than its successors, and its launch coincided with a winding-down in production of the similarly-sized Maestro
Austin Maestro
The Austin Maestro is a compact-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group. The car was produced at the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxford. It was initially...
, which finally ceased production at the end of 1994 having spent the final years of its life as a budget alternative to the more upmarket Rover 200. Coupe and cabriolet versions of the 200 were later sold, and these were sold alongside the all-new 1995 model and continued until that model was upgraded to become the Rover 25 in 1999. The 1989 Rover 200 was a strong seller throughout its life and its successor continued this trend, though its final year of production (1999) saw a significant dip in sales. These strong sales were not as high as the ever-popular Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...
. The Rover 200 had actually been around since 1988 as the Longbridge-built
Longbridge plant
The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
Honda Concerto
Honda Concerto
The Honda Concerto was an automobile produced by Honda from 1988 to 1994. Like its predecessor, the Honda Quint and Honda Ballade sedan , it shared its platform with a Rover product, namely the Rover 200 and Rover 400...
, which offered a higher level of equipment but only achieved a fraction of its sales.
Rover 400 series
At the beginning of 1990, Rover launched the Rover 400 range. The 400 was essentially a four-door version of the 200 hatchback, but was slightly longer and offered more stowage space. It was sold as an alternative to the likes of the Ford SierraFord Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
and Vauxhall Cavalier
Vauxhall Cavalier
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...
, but was never able to match the success of these cars. An estate version of the 400 was launched in 1994, and continued alongside the all-new Honda Civic-based
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
model that was launched the following year. The 1995 Rover 400 was a more substantial and popular alternative to other large family cars than its successor was, offering impressive equipment levels, but a relative shortage of interior space because it was nearer in size to cars in the next category down. The Rover 400 was facelifted in 1999 to become the Rover 45, and at the same time the estate version of the original 400 was dropped.
Rover Metro/Rover 100
Rover 100
The name Rover 100 may refer to one of two different British motor vehicles:* Rover P4 100; produced by The Rover Co. Ltd. from 1960-62* Rover Metro, at various times also known as the Austin Mini Metro and Rover 100, amongst other names; produced by Austin Rover Group and MG Rover Group from...
(essentially another update of the original 1980 design) in late 1994. The Rover 100 remained in production for three years, selling reasonably well, until it was discontinued after a dismal crash test performance that saw demand fall dramatically.
Rover 600 series
Rover 600
The Rover 600 Series is a compact executive car produced by the British car maker Rover from 1993 to 1999.The Rover 600 exterior was designed by Rover, a re-skin of the Tochigi-developed Honda Accord, also built in the UK by Honda in Swindon...
range. Sold as a four-door saloon, the 600 was based on the Honda Accord
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
but used Rover engines as well as Honda engines (Honda used Rover's diesel engine in their European Accord) and had a classier interior. It was very popular in the compact executive market, but could not match the ever-popular BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
.
Land Rover
The Land RoverLand Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
arm of the Rover Group expanded dramatically after the late 1980s. The Ninety/One Ten models received minor equipment and driveline upgrades and sales began to improve after a severe and near-terminal decline in the early part of the decade. The Range Rover enjoyed increased sales following its repositioning as a luxury vehicle, with higher equipment levels and options such as an automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
and a diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
option being offered for the first time. The successful Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
'family' 4x4 was launched in 1989 and became Europe's top-selling 4x4 within 18 months. The Discovery brought with it an advanced diesel engine, which was soon fitted to the other models in the range. This period saw Land Rover rationalise its operations, closing down satellite factories and increasing parts-sharing between models (axles, transmissions and engines were all shared, and the Discovery used the same chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
and many body panels as the Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
. The Ninety/One Ten range was fitted with the new diesel engine and renamed the Defender in 1990. An all-new Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
was launched in 1994, together with an improved Discovery which maintained high sales. A fourth model, the 'mini-SUV' Freelander
Land Rover Freelander
The Land Rover Freelander is a compact crossover SUV made by Land Rover.The current generation is sold as the LR2 in North America and as the Freelander 2 in Europe...
was introduced in 1998 and replaced the Discovery as Europe's best-selling 4x4 vehicle.
MG
The MGMG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
badge-engineering project (first implemented by Austin Rover in 1982) was ended in 1991 despite some reasonable success for its Maestro
Austin Maestro
The Austin Maestro is a compact-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group. The car was produced at the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxford. It was initially...
and Montego
Austin Montego
The Austin Montego is a British mid-size saloon car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994. The Montego was the replacement for the Morris Ital, to give British Leyland a modern competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall...
ranges (the MG Metro had been discontinued after the facelift in 1990). The MG badge was revived in 1992 on the RV8 - an updated MGB
MG MGB
The MGB is a sports car launched by MG Cars in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965...
which made use of a 3.9 V8 Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
power unit, but lacked modern refinements that were expected in similarly-priced sports car of its era. The car didn't sell as strongly as earlier MG sports car, and production had ended by 1995.
The "real" rebirth of MG sports cars occurred in 1995, when the MG F
MG F
The MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB, produced from 1962 to 1980...
was launched. Powered by a 1.8 16-valve mid-mounted engine, it was an instant hit with buyers thanks to its distinctive styling and excellent ride and handling. It was a huge success in the roadster renaissance of the late 1990s, despite some buyers being let down by lacklusture build quality and reliability.
Corporate history
The Rover Group plc was formed by renaming BL plc in 1986, soon after the appointment by Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Graham Day
Graham Day
Sir Judson Graham Day ONS is a Canadian and British business executive, lawyer and corporate director who lives in Hantsport, Nova Scotia....
to the position of Chairman and Managing Director of BL.
After divesting of its commercial vehicle and bus manufacturing divisions the company then consisted of the car manufacturing arm Austin Rover Group
Austin Rover Group
The Austin Rover Group was a British motor manufacturer. It was formed in 1981 as the mass-market car manufacturing subsidiary of British Leyland...
and the Land Rover Group
Land Rover Group
Land Rover Group was a division of British Leyland and later the Rover Group that was in existence between 1981 and 1987. LRG brought British Leyland's light commercial vehicle production under one management, consisting of the Land Rover utility 4x4 range, the Range Rover luxury 4x4 and the...
. This group was privatised in 1988 by the sale of the company to British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
(BAe) for £150 million, who retained Day as joint CEO/Chairman, and made Kevin Morley
Kevin Morley
Kevin Morley , is an English businessman, known for being the former Managing Director of the former Rover Group.Holding an MSc...
MD of Rover cars. The Group changed its name again in 1989 to Rover Group Holdings Limited.
On 31 January 1994 BAe sold the company on to German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
vehicle manufacturer BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
for £800 million (a takeover which caused uproar in the House of Commons), the name changing again in 1995 to BMW (UK) Holdings Limited.
Millions of pounds of investment by BMW failed to turn the company into profit. It has been estimated that the entire Rover bankruptcy cost BMW fifteen billion Marks. In March 2000, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
announced its plans to sell the Rover Group. Within two months, the sale of the group had been completed. After negotiations with Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners is a British private equity firm, which specialises in leveraged management buyouts, management buy-ins and the provision of later stage development capital.Alchemy was founded in 1997 by Martin Bolland and Jon Moulton...
broke down, the Rover and MG car business was purchased by the Phoenix Consortium, who continued to build cars at the Longbridge plant
Longbridge plant
The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
- including the original Mini for the final few months of its 41-year production life. The business operated as MG Rover Group
MG Rover Group
MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
, with ownership of the Rover brand being retained by BMW but licensed to MG Rover. Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
was sold to the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, while BMW retained the rights to build the new MINI
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
that was due for a launch a year later. BMW also retained the rights to the Riley and Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
marques, in a bid to stop competition of its sports saloon car image.
Land-Rover was subsequently sold by Ford to TATA Motors
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
; the rights to the Rover brand name are now owned by TATA Motors of India, owners of both Land-Rover and Jaguar - in addition TATA Motors also own Daimler
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
and Lanchester
Lanchester
Lanchester may refer to:Places*Lanchester, County Durham, village in England*Lanchester Polytechnic, former name of Coventry UniversityPeople*Elsa Lanchester , Oscar-nominated English character actress*Frederick W...
brands.
After a financial crisis and talks of acquisition or investment by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation failed in early 2005, the MG Rover Group went into receivership. After liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
, SAIC ended up with ownership of the rights to the Rover 75 (though not under that name), as well as rights to the Austin
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
, Morris
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
, and Wolseley
Wolseley Motor Company
The Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
marques. Nanjing Automobile Corporation bought the rights to the MG name. In December 2007, Nanjing and SAIC announced their merger, thus reuniting many of the marques of the former Austin Rover group.
Sponsorship
Rover Group sponsored the ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football team Dundee United during the early to mid 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, including their Scottish FA Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
triumph in 1994.
Timeline
- 1986: BL plc renamed as The Rover Group plc
- 1986: Rover SD1Rover SD1Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland or BL through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986....
production ceases after 10 years and the car is replaced by a new model called the Rover 800Rover 800The Rover 800 series is an executive car introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986 and also marketed as the Sterling in the United States. Co-developed with Honda, it was a close relative to the Honda Legend and the successor to the Rover SD1....
- the result of a joint venture with Honda which led to the manufacture of the Rover 800 and the Honda LegendHonda LegendThe Honda Legend is a mid-size luxury car made by the Japanese automaker Honda. It was the result of Project XX, a joint agreement started in November 1981 with the Austin Rover Group of Great Britain and was mechanically related to the Rover 800 series....
. - 1987: The Leyland Trucks division (which by then included Freight Rover VansFreight RoverFreight Rover was a British commercial vehicle manufacturer based in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.-History:The company was created as a division of the Land Rover Group of British Leyland in 1981, creating a new single brand for BL's panel van business.Under later company organisation...
) merged with DAFDAF TrucksDAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of PACCAR. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium...
and then floated. (Note: After being declared bankrupt in 1993 the new DAF NVDAF NVDAF NV was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In 1993 DAF NV became insolvent.-History:...
company split into three independent companies; the UK van operation became LDVLDV LimitedLDV Group Limited was a British van manufacturer, based in the Ward End area of Birmingham.In its history part of Rover Group and Leyland DAF, was latterly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian GAZ group...
, the Dutch operation resumed trading as DAF Trucks and the UK truck operation resumed trading as Leyland TrucksLeyland TrucksLeyland Trucks is the UK's leading medium & heavy duty truck manufacturer and is based in the town of Leyland, Lancashire. It emerged from the bankruptcy of DAF NV as the result of a management buy-out in 1993, and was acquired by PACCAR in 1998, of which it is now a subsidiary...
. Both truck operations were later acquired by PACCARPACCARPACCAR Inc is the third largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks in the world , and has substantial manufacture in light and medium vehicles through its various subsidiaries.-History:...
of the USA.) - 1987: Leyland BusLeyland BusLeyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer. It emerged from the Rover Group as a management buyout of the bus business...
floated off; bought by Volvo BusesVolvo BusesVolvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
in 1988 - 1987: UnipartUnipartUnipart Group is a multinational logisitics, supply chain, and consultancy company headquartered in Cowley, United Kingdom. It has operations in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan and works across a variety of sectors that include automotive, rail, marine and leisure...
spare parts division sold off via management buyout - 1988: Rover Group privatised; sold to British AerospaceBritish AerospaceBritish Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
- 1989: The new Rover 200Rover 200 SeriesThe Rover 200 Series, and the later Rover 25, were a series of small car models produced by the Austin Rover Group, and latterly the Rover Group and MG Rover....
goes on sale, abandoning the four-door saloon bodystyle in favour of a three- and five-door hatchback. It is also sold as the Honda ConcertoHonda ConcertoThe Honda Concerto was an automobile produced by Honda from 1988 to 1994. Like its predecessor, the Honda Quint and Honda Ballade sedan , it shared its platform with a Rover product, namely the Rover 200 and Rover 400...
. MaestroAustin MaestroThe Austin Maestro is a compact-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group. The car was produced at the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxford. It was initially...
and MontegoAustin MontegoThe Austin Montego is a British mid-size saloon car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994. The Montego was the replacement for the Morris Ital, to give British Leyland a modern competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall...
production is scaled down as a result. - 1990: The Rover 400 - saloon version of the Rover 200 - goes on sale. Also going into production is the heavily updated MetroRover MetroThe Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....
, which features modernised body styling, a reworked interior and a new range of engines. - 1991: The Rover 800 receives a major facelift.
- 1992: ConvertibleConvertibleA convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
and CoupeCoupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
versions of the Rover 200 are launched. - 1993: The Rover 600 is launched, based on the Honda AccordHonda AccordThe Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
but re-styled and using a mixture of Honda and Rover's own engines. - 1994: 31 January - British Aerospace announces the sale of its 80% majority share of Rover Group to BMW.
- 1994: 21 February - Honda announces it is selling its 20% share of Rover Group causing major problems in Rover's supply chain which was reliant on Honda.
- 1994: An estate version of the Rover 400 is launched, along with an updated Metro which sees the 14-year-old nameplate shelved and rebadged as the Rover 100. Maestro and Montego production also ends.
- 1995: New versions of the Rover 200 and Rover 400 go on sale, though this time they are entirely different cars. The Rover 400 is a reworked, upmarket version of the latest Honda CivicHonda CivicThe Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
, despite the Rover-Honda collaboration finishing a year earlier. The new MG FMG FThe MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB, produced from 1962 to 1980...
goes on sale, bringing back the MG badge on a mass-production sports car for the first time since 1980. - 1998: The Rover 75Rover 75The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
goes on sale as a successor to both the Rover 600 and Rover 800. - 1999: The Rover 200 and Rover 400 are facelifted to be re-badged as the Rover 25 and Rover 45 respectively.
- 2000: Land RoverLand RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
sold by BMW to FordFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... - 2000: The new MINI launched by BMW, produced at the Cowley assembly plant.
- 2000: Remainder of company sold to the Phoenix Consortium for a nominal £10 and becomes the MG Rover GroupMG Rover GroupMG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
External links
- Why did BMW buy Rover? Retrieved September 2011