Is the world ready for the Rover's return?

Avant    on 20 January 2015

Sadly, I don't think it is.

Before and after WW2, Rovers were reliable, long-lasting and above all solid. In the 60s they got better to drive but much less reliable, and even less with the 3500 in the 70s and 80s. Volvo took on the 'solid' mantle which is too far in the past for a reborn Rover to take back - even if that would still sell cars. And JLR would I'm sure maintain that their cars are now as reliable as any.

For me personally the Triumph and Riley names have much more appeal - but I suspect that they also are too far in the past to revive.

RT    on 20 January 2015

Sadly, I don't think it is.

Before and after WW2, Rovers were reliable, long-lasting and above all solid. In the 60s they got better to drive but much less reliable, and even less with the 3500 in the 70s and 80s. Volvo took on the 'solid' mantle which is too far in the past for a reborn Rover to take back - even if that would still sell cars. And JLR would I'm sure maintain that their cars are now as reliable as any.

For me personally the Triumph and Riley names have much more appeal - but I suspect that they also are too far in the past to revive.

Triumph and Riley are owned by BMW.

Wolseley is owned by SAIC.

Vanden Plas is owned by Nanjing

JLR owns the Jaguar, Daimler, Lanchester, Rover and Land Rover brands.

JLR needs to complete it's product renewal programme, then increase it's global manufacturing capacity - then maybe the time is right to move into the mainstream sector with Rover models

daveyK_UK    on 20 January 2015

JLR should focus on making the land rovers reliable before it worries about bringing back rover

Gibbo_Wirral    on 21 January 2015

I don't think there's any gap in the market nowadays, and they've got an uphill battle from the negative history.

SteveLee    on 23 January 2015

From he article "it does own the rights to the name, thanks to a shrewd bit of business by Ford when it acquired Land Rover in 2000."

There was nothing shrewd about it - when Ford bought Land Rover (For vastly more than BMW paid for the whole Rover group) Ford wanted assurance that no 4x4 product with the name "Rover" on the bonnet would ever appear. BMW promised not to develop 4x4 Rovers and gave Ford first dibs on the Rover brand should it become available - knowing of course it would appear as BMW asset stripped and dumped the Rover group for all its worth.