Roewe 350

Roewe 350 which runs on Google’s Android system has been put into production late yesterday and will eventually launch on April 23rd at the Beijing Auto Show. Roewe N1 is a concept car (code-named AP11 project) that was unveiled last year at the Shanghai Auto Show and is being worked on by both MG and SAIC. With a big 2.5 V6 engine this car is responding well to the Chinese conditions especially with the introduction of 1.8T (Turbo), and future 1.5 and 1.5T (Turbo) engines. This engine, running on 105bhp with a 135Nm of torque is ideal for inner city travelling. Around 60 AP11/350 vehicles have been handbuilt to date. These were all for testing that means some of these vehicles might have been tested in UK, Australia and China.

It really dwells on 3G lifestyle, and therefore its system is actually running on Google Android 2.1 (same OS as Google’s Nexus handset). The system is designed to get direct web access and also allows the passengers to chat online. The 350 will be able to get all the latest real time traffic reports for drivers to avoid certain spots and comes with an integrated DVD / GPS navigation system.

The pricing of the car is expected to be in the range of $10,000 to $20,000. The 1.5 will also fall into a lower sales tax bracket in China meaning more sales all around. SAIC are expecting sales of 60,000 per year starting this year and monthly sales of 8,000 to 10,000 cars approximately, although these sales figures might be across the range of cars (hatch, sedan, wagon, and SUV) which they are planning to launch based on same technology.