SAIC Motor Roewe 550 History

Launched at the 2008 Beijing Motor Show, the Roewe 550 shared its underpinnings with the larger 750 but targeted the mainstream compact-sedan market. Like its bigger sibling it was based on engineering derived from the MG Rover acquisition, styled in-house by SAIC with a more contemporary look.

The 550 also gave SAIC its first toehold in export markets — when the Roewe brand was introduced in Chile and parts of Latin America in 2008, it was sold there as the MG 550 and MG 750, previewing the strategy of using the MG badge internationally. A plug-in hybrid eRX5 successor eventually succeeded the compact sedan slot as SAIC's electrification program accelerated.