Section A - General information

Development of the Rover 75 and MG ZT

Development and launch

Rover 75 Saloon (1998)

Development of a replacement for the Rover 600 and 800 was already underway prior to the start of BMW's ownership of the Rover Group, but with new funding available, and access to BMW resources replacing the previous agreements with Honda, a new technical design became possible. The Rover 75 was therefore designed with a 'clean sheet' approach, and with far more resources available than for any previous Rover project. The intention was to produce a high quality vehicle with strong and timeless aesthetic appeal, and to re-connect with the Rover tradition of quality, refinement, and innovation.

The essential features of the body design and the interior and exterior styling were largely completed in 1994. The Rover design teams were already using very advanced computer modelling techniques, leading to a very stiff body shell. Combined with the use of front and rear sub-frames, this provided a sound basis for the car's handling and ride characteristics, crash safety, and general build quality, and also made possible its future development in other forms, including the later MG ZT versions.

Production at Cowley (1999)

The launch of the Rover 75 was officially announced at the British Motor Show in Birmingham on 22nd October 1998, by which time its development, including the new production facilities at Cowley, had cost an estimated £700 million. Some early production vehicles were then made available for press reviews, and initial pricing for the Rover 75 Saloon was announced at the time of the international press launch in Seville, Spain in February 1999. Full volume production of the Rover 75 Saloon began at Cowley on 12th April 1999, with the UK sales launch following shortly afterwards on 17th June 1999.

The initial choice of engines consisted of the Rover 1.8 K Series petrol engine, the Rover V6 petrol engine (in both 2.0 and 2.5 litre versions), and the 2.0 litre BMW diesel engine, all of which were re-developed for use in the Rover 75, together with new manual and automatic transmissions supplied by Getrag and JATCO. The vehicle's electrical systems were adapted from the standard components in use by BMW at that time, including a range of in-car entertainment and satellite navigation options.

During the transfer of production from Cowley to Longbridge in 2000, additional body shells were manufactured in advance at Cowley and transported to Longbridge for painting, trimming and final assembly in order to avoid any break in the flow of completed Rover 75 vehicles. Production of the Rover 75 at Longbridge re-started in October 2000, with body shell manufacturing from January 2001 onwards, and continued until 8th April 2005.

Production history

MG ZT 260 SE Tourer (2004)

The Rover 75 and MG ZT were manufactured in three different body shapes. The Saloon and Tourer were both part of the original design concept, and the Tourer was added to the range immediately after the separation from BMW and the move to Longbridge in 2001. The MG ZT Saloon and its Tourer equivalent, the MG ZT-T, were also introduced in 2001. These were followed in 2002 by the Vanden Plas Saloon, a factory-approved conversion with a 200mm longer wheelbase and additional space in the passenger compartment for the rear seat passengers.

Additional engine and fuel options were also added in 2002. A turbo-charged version of the 1.8 K Series engine was introduced in response to changes in company car taxation in the UK, and from June 2002 a factory-approved dual-fuel LPG conversion was available for both the 1.8 K Series and the 2.5 V6 engines. The 2.0 V6 engine continued to be available as an option, and the BMW diesel engine was made available with two different states of tune giving either 116 bhp or 131 bhp. The MG-ZT 260, using a 4.6 litre Ford V8 engine and rear wheel drive, was announced in 2002 and launched some time later in September 2003. It was built in both Saloon and Tourer forms, with the majority being MG ZT 260 Saloons. There were also other changes to engine availability across the model range in 2003.

Rover 75 Coupe (2004)

The complete Rover 75 and MG ZT model range then received a facelift in March 2004. All models in the range received new front and rear bumpers, new trim levels, and a number of other changes, and the MG ZT 260 was joined by its Rover 75 equivalent, the Rover 75 V8. The long wheelbase saloon became known as the Rover 75 Limousine, and its production was transferred to the main production line at Longbridge. This was an interim step towards a more thorough re-engineering of the Rover 75, which was being planned for 2006, and may have included the replacement of the BMW diesel engine by a more suitable alternative.

Later in 2004, a single hand-built example of a Rover 75 Coupe was produced. An earlier version of a coupe body style had been under consideration since the time of the launch in 1999, but had not been taken forward for production. The 2004 version, built as a demonstration vehicle only, included some of the interior design features that were being considered for the 2006 model range revision.

Specification changes

Production at Longbridge (2004)

Like most manufacturers, MG Rover carried out systematic efforts to reduce vehicle costs and manufacturing complexity, and some features were dropped before volume production started. This included, for example, the original design of stainless steel exhaust system, which was replaced by a conventional mild steel version once production began. There were also many other specification changes resulting from the introduction of new models and features.

At Longbridge, however, there were further cost-cutting and rationalisation measures in the form of Project Drive, and from the beginning of 2001 onwards a number of changes were made to the specifications of all MG Rover models with a view to reducing the cost and increasing the profitability of vehicle production, and providing greater flexibility to introduce new model versions and specification options.

Production volumes

Initial plans called for the production of 50,000 vehicles per year, rising to 80,000 per year after the first twelve months. The actual production volumes are, however, uncertain. The following figures are quoted from the AR Online website, and a link for this source is given below.

According to these figures the total sales volume achieved for the Rover 75 and MG ZT over their combined six-year production lifetime was 238,324 vehicles, of which 81,969 were produced at Cowley and 156,355 at Longbridge. The peak of production was in 2002, when just over 39,000 Rover 75 and MG ZT vehicles were produced. The same source gives the total sales for the predecessor models as 271,000 for the Rover 600, and 317,000 for the Rover 800.

The pre-facelift models are generally referred to as the Mark 1 versions, and the post-facelift as the Mark 2 versions. As can be seen from the production figures set out above, about 200,000 Mark 1 vehicles were built up to and including 2003, and about 38,000 Mark 2 vehicles were built during 2004 and 2005. Of the Mark 2 vehicles, about 29,500 were Rover 75s and about 8,500 were MG ZTs. In total, about 27,000 MG ZTs were produced.

Export markets

The Rover 75 and MG ZT were sold in more than 80 countries worldwide. Most of these export destinations were in place at the time of the launch in 1999, whilst others were added later. For convenience of administration, these countries were grouped into four world regions:

External links

AR Online: Production volumes