ROVER COULD RETURN! But It May Be TERRIBLE!? - Exploring The Tata Rumour

In this video we cover one of the most debated topics regarding the british car industry and its decline and how Rover could return and make cars again by leveraging it's history of the SD1, P6, P5 and 75 with the brand possibly being used to rebadge Tata cars to wage the great EV war against MG and China.
We explore Rover's past successes, failures and why this may be plausable.
This is simply a theory and something I have been asked about several times, if Rover could return and how as well as if the Tata rumours are true, that they could return in the late 2020s but who knows? This video is meer speculation on this theory and I'd like to hear your opinion below
Just a note; not all was bad with British leyland and the British car industry isn’t dead it is very much alive. Regarding MG Rover and the many other eras I covered as much as I could in the small recap but longer videos will be produced covering these eras.
Follow me on Instagram for more cool stuff: / tomisdrivingcars

[@chrisblay]

One thing’s for sure. The rights to UK car brands have all been sold to foreign entities. So no chance of a UK start up acquiring one. What a sad state for a country that pioneered the car industry.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

What about Reliant Motors? I thought their intellectual property was owned by the Reliant Car Club.

[@uncipaws7643]

At least all the brands produced in high volumes. There are still some British brands (Aston Martin, Morgan, Caterham) but none of them produce large quantities. Those are niche cars for enthusiasts. (Yearly production of Aston Martin is around 5000, still relatively small series ... I guess all others are under 1000 per year each.)

[@nickb2179]

Aston is owned by a Canadian (Lawrence father of Lance Stroll) so arguably - sold off to foreign owners as per so many others

[@pilskadden]

So true. Britain had it all - and lost everything due to inept management, endless strikes and horrible build quality.

[@matthewsemple]

There could be a licencing agreement like whatever happened when Jaguar built Daimlers rather than Daimler Benz.

[@grumpyglyn1065]

Having thought this over, I think that if reviving Rover, with a decent quality product, provides Tata with revenue, it should be done. Let's not forget that the demise of British brands is nobody's fault but ours. Incompetent management and belligerent unions caused their downfall. Let's not forget that Tata is a major investor in Britain, and extra income can help sustain the manufacturing and employment in the UK.

[@brendanpells912]

Although it would make more sense to manufacture in EU, as JLR did with their new plant in Slovakia, or even build in India.

[@grumpyglyn1065]

@@brendanpells912 I agree. I meant that a strong income from an affordable range would help sustain the more upmarket production within the UK.

[@jimtaylor294]

Nope. The Germans owned Rover when it was asset stripped. The UK public never got a say. Same with the Rootes Group, Bedford Lorries, ERF, Vauxhall, and many more ran into the ground by overseas companies.

[@jimtaylor294]

​@brendanpells912 Not really. The car market is being strangled to death here in the west, and even Tata know they can't build luxury cars in India (that's why the R&D and production has been in the UK), and the average Indian can't afford them anyway. (the Nano failed after all, despite being low end)

[@mrlover4310]

You would be surprised what the average Indian can afford remember Indian has aprox 1.3 billion population.​@jimtaylor294

[@gerardleahy6946]

When I was a child Rover cars were almost on a par with the German premium brands but the brand name was destroyed by poor quality and renaming the poor quality, outdated Metro as a Rover. The City Rover was the final coup de grace for the brand. The plan to revive the name may work as there will be several casualties among existing brands The proposal to bring forward the ICE sales ban to 2030 is doomed to failure. European brands now realize that the 2035 Euro deadline is not workable. This green lunacy will only end in failure.

[@jimtaylor294]

Pretty much. EV's are an ecological disaster and have no resale value worth measuring. Opposition to the government on the issue will only get louder.

[@caeserromero3013]

Should have started with the Corrie theme tune for the 'Rovers return' 😂

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

Maybe Tata should call their cars Tetley since they own the tea company. Strap line… Tetley-The car that's your cup of tea! Great video.

[@jimtaylor294]

Imagine the *ThAt's Better; ThAt's Tetley* humour the car ads would have 😁👌 . Would only work with real cars though; not this EV rubbish.

[@eamoneejit]

Tetley-Rover, built like they used to: full of little holes.

[@MiguchaDonovanRicarardoMigucha]

@@nigelcharlton-wright1747. 🤔

[@billweaver6092]

They’d have to turn over a new leaf ….

[@MiguchaDonovanRicarardoMigucha]

@@billweaver6092. 🤔👍

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Rover, SAAB, Lancia (in the Uk at least), Triumph and it seems soon (perhaps) Jaguar - all heritage brands now - and, unless you are a car enthusiast, largely meaningless to car consumers, who were never that bothered about them when they were trading - hence their demise! I’d not like to see the return of Rover - whatever Tata do, it will be a tremendous let down.

[@levelcrossing150]

Sounds like more of the same to me. Leave Rover where they are and how I remember them, with some dignity.

[@MiguchaDonovanRicarardoMigucha]

You're probably right about that my dear ❤

[@nickb5391]

Cannot see the problem as Rover would be back technically with itself 'Land' Rover as it was Rover Car Company that developed the 'Land' Rover & Tata own Jaguar/Land Rover anyway & I think a lot of people like their products

[@Jimbo759]

If they're coming as soon as 2026 then bring on some petrol options too. The likelihood of the ICE ban happening in 2030 or even 35 are pretty remote anyway, especially given the fact that people are gradually realising that the logistics of making this EV fantasy a reality will cause more harm to the environment than good.

[@mikewallace1723]

The U.K. failed in the car sector. Only with outside influence that some survived. The reasons are many, from poor product, strikes and bad management. The buyers here turned their backs and chose Germany brands and others….. Ford was treated as a home manufacturer.! Vauxhall was not U.K. owned for years. Only those with rose tinted glasses who mourn some brands. The majority don’t care or don’t remember. Government policy was not to support manufacturing , but go to services. Sell assets to highest bidder. This is where we are🤬🤬🤬 What’s important? British ownership, British made or designed here? World is a very different place.

[@AnonymousCaveman]

BL killed rover

[@Deltic55-mw4bo]

So long as at least some of them are built in Britain. Castle Brom's got spare capacity now?

[@mrgurulittle7000]

If Rover is back, I’d be absolutely stoked. I don’t see why having it be a rebadged Tata should be a concern because virtually all the newer Tata cars are designed and engineered by Brits at the JLR facilities. Tata basically invested in JLR to make them rich in engineering which they then use to design their cars. Smart move in my opinion. So Rover would be designed by Brits, which is the ultimate factor to getting Brits to buy them when they make their debut. They will definitely be much more British than MG; let’s rest assured that. C’mon guys, let’s be optimistic. I’d rather have an Indian rebadged Rover with British technology designed by former BL engineers than have an MG with regurgitated GM technology that the parent company (SAIC) is licensing under contract. I was against MG’s acquisition by the Chinese and still hold that view. RIP MG and welcome back Rover.

[@Low760]

The guys at lr are not ex BL at this point given they haven't been bl in 38~ years.

[@pjmclaverty2090]

So you'd rather have an Indian Rover, rather than have a Chinese MG ? & as for engineered by Brits. Really... I applaud your loyalty to Rover but lets face it JLR 'make' some of the least reliable cars currently on the market. Personally, I believe what happened to the car industry & manufacturing in the UK is a travesty but rebadged electric 'white goods' are not a rebirth of Britsh marks, just a corporate exercise in monetising rose tinted nostalgia. This is only my opinion, as is yours. 🖖

[@mrgurulittle7000]

@@Low760Well, they’re the spiritual successors. You get the point.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

⁠​⁠@@pjmclaverty2090True, JLR are quite unreliable, but so is a Chinese MG. My point is that we can actually consider the rebadged Tata cars as British because they’re engineered by British. I don’t see why we can’t consider the new Rovers as British cars just because the parent company is Indian. All the R&D and most suppliers are in the UK, making JLR still very much British. This is unlike MG which SAIC only bought the name and still claims they have stuff going on in Longbridge, though we know there’s nothing going on at Longbridge. It’s all about nostalgia, true, but why not?

[@Whatshisname346]

Also let’s be honest, outside a few enthusiasts the Rover brand is junk by now. Reviving it and sticking it on a reliable mass market EV is not exactly going to ruined a brand which basically sold rebadged but worse built Hondas for the last 20 years of its life that only sold to pensioners. To me it’d be a foot in the door for TATA with the chance that JLR could tap into a bit more cash and platform sharing to build a new small electric SUV.

[@stevieboyNI]

I'm liking this idea. Especially if they are built in the UK at Castle Bromwich. XE/XF has just finished production there, Tata has started building its massive battery plant in Somerset. All seems to fit

[@pcread]

Why would they? I mean, design and engineering at JLR I can understand, but low margin manufacture in the UK, especially post Brexit doesn't make sense. Only lower wage/energy price countries can hope to make enough profit off mass market vehicles.

[@stevieboyNI]

@@pcread Same reason BMW/Mini are still building at Cowley, Nissan at Sunderland. UK buyers like to support a UK made product. It depends on the type of Rover we're being offered and pricing structure.

[@stumagoo2395]

​​@@stevieboyNIUK buyers couldn't give a hoot where a car is made. Most people buy a car based on value for money and the reason MG are now quite popular is their cars cost approx 25-30% less than the equivalent Ford or Vauxhall. I've always bought British built cars, but I'm easily amongst the minority who do.

[@stevieboyNI]

@@stumagoo2395 Agreed and i'm of the same mindset but for a British brand like Rover thats been dormant for 20 years i think Tata would make a real statement to at least making some Rovers in the UK. With tariffs on imported Chinese cars to significantly rise, SAIC/MG may not be the bargains they are now. Tata may see the benefit of building in the UK.

[@robtyman4281]

This is now much less likely to happen, with us no longer being in the EU. We're seen as a small market on the edge of Europe, and on the 'outside' too. International car makers (non European ones) will be more likely to build new plants in the EU - where supplies and logistics are alot easier to acquire. We really have cut ourselves off, are less attractive a country to invest in, and different regulations on car makers (compared with the EU) may soon make it virtually impossible to bring in parts from the EU....or even from outside it. I thought TATA were slowly withdrawing from the UK anyway?

[@uncipaws7643]

I like how Roewe (Chinese successor of Rover) is pronounced approximately "wrong way".

[@mrgurulittle7000]

😂Lmao.

[@jimtaylor294]

All too apt, but hilarious too that the chaps in the PRC didn't notice that issue 😆 . (a bit like GMC failed to notice why Nova was a bad model name for French & Spanish buyers 😉)

[@simonweakley3479]

The original plan was to sell the Tata Indicar very cheaply at £4995 and badge it as an Austin to create a brand a bit like Dacia 'You do the maths' but MG Rover management got greedy and thought they could sell a City Rover for between £6k and £8k. At the £4995 price with a service pack and low finance the Austin would have sold against Dacia which has become a huge hit. I think Rover's day is done and I have an 800 Sterling and a 75 but selling cheap mass market Rovers is just a travesty and no one would buy them, MG has a bit more sporty image even though the cars have nothing to do with MG in any way, just a badge on a Chinese built and designed product. Another sterling video Tom, well done lad.

[@anthonybarrett2446]

The other brand that could have been used for the City Rover was "Metro". it would have been a perfect fit for a car with a budget image and one that still had fond memories in a large segment of the car buying public. From what I have read, it was never even proposed, even though it was an obvious one to use.

[@Deltic55-mw4bo]

@@anthonybarrett2446 I always thought they missed a trick not calling it a metro

[@jmfitzpatrick1731]

Thanks Tom, for another of your thoughtful presentations. And, given the success of MG (now a Top 10 brand in Australia) I suspect that Tara would be considering the posssibilities… As to potential MG - Rover rivalry, wouldn’t it be akin to the former BMC - Leyland rivalry of another era? And, former stablemates Rolls-Royce and Bentley now are owned by competitors. What is remarkable is the incredible durability and desirability of British car brands…. I doubt we will ever see another SIMCA, Panhard, Studebaker, DeSoto or Prince (Japan) - all of which were reputable brands in their day Best wishes, John

[@TheLegendMaster]

I wouldn't be keen because they wouldn't be Rovers, it would be a zombie brand doing the bidding of a foreign economy and a final posthumous humiliation. This may be a crazy idea but how about we make our own cars?

[@tomdrives]

Exactly this

[@Whatshisname346]

Rover had been a zombie brand long before they went out of business. Reviving it on a reliable car with (heaven forbid) industry standard panel gaps might actually give the brand some much needed cachet. Since when did rover not build standard mass market cars; probably the 1970s? SUVs particularly EVs are now standard mass market cars which if they were still in business, Rover would be making today.

[@MarthaMansbridge]

Rovers weren’t Rovers since the 800 but I’d argue that 800-R8 period was their best since the 50’s and ever since. They just need to be decent cars. A revival doesn’t need to be a nod to the hey day but it’s certainly a way TATA could add some volume/mainstream appeal without hurting Jaguar/Land Rover. In fact, I’m bewildered JLR haven’t done this sooner - if they don’t introduce a volume element to their portfolio they will just end up an ever decreasing niche player and they just will not be able to compete.

[@jimtaylor294]

@MarthaMansbridge JLR hasn't revived the Rover brand because they never bought it to do so; they bought it up to keep it out of SIAC's hands. Jaguar and Rover couldn't coexist during the BL era (anymore than MG & Triumph did), because their products clashed too often. The Jaguar XE - functionally in the Midsized Saloon segment the SD1 was once in - only confirmed as much. The only logical situation for reviving Rover as a brand, would be if Land Rover & Jaguar were spun off from each other, which I don't see happening.

[@jimtaylor294]

@MarthaMansbridge I'd argue Rover's brand dilution goes back a couple of years more, to the start of the Rhonda era with the Tronda Acclaim being rebadged as a Rover. The team up with Honda had potential, but in the long run hurt Rover more than it helped them, as they waited too long to replace the Honda car platforms with in-house ones.

[@timbrookes3699]

60 % about right. But it needs to be a medium to large, up market well designed and built vehicle. The Rover 75, nearly make it, but was too small, due to BMW not wanting it to rival the 5series BMW. I used to own a corporate chauffeur drive company, initially using Rover 800 Stirlings. When the Rover 75 arrived, it was just too small for our needs, so we went onto the big Peugeots and then S80 Volvos, then VW Phaetons and Audi A8s. The cars that made Rover “ Rover” were the P4, P5 and P6. I never really liked the SD1. I thought the design was unsophisticated (compared to the alternatives that where on the drawing board) badly built, with cheap badging. All the things that you would never see on a P4, P5, P6. I am looking to purchase a Volvo S90. It is the perfect size, very well put together and a very good design. Volvo it seems using Ford money, turned themselves into the niche car brand being placed under BMW, Aud, Mercedes, Jaguar, that Rover could have become, if it were not for the cock up that was British Leyland

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Can't see it happening, especially since Jaguar is on the way to extinction.

[@john1v6]

Jaguar lost their way with those big ugly SUV s***boxes!

[@praneethjayasimha5943]

@@john1v6 jaguar is coming back in 2025 with its own platform.

[@paulkluka3169]

@@praneethjayasimha5943I will believe it when I see it. Rapidly losing faith in Tata.

[@praneethjayasimha5943]

@@paulkluka3169 have you seen the new range rover? its built on new MLA platform built in 2022. Tata motors is the highest profit making company within tata group. Come to reality and have some faith. JEA platform is coming in 2026 with new jaguars.

[@numberstation]

⁠@@paulkluka3169Oh, you’ll see it ok!

[@rowanholgate1435]

It's just a name. Rover is long gone.

[@MiguchaDonovanRicarardoMigucha]

🤔

[@Victor-DOOM]

I agree same as horrid new mg

[@MiguchaDonovanRicarardoMigucha]

@@Victor-DOOM. 🤔

[@ackraux1010]

Honestly id rather Rover stay dead and not be tarnished by cheap rebranded indian models. I just cant keep watching as these legendary car marques are revived and made to sell these cheap models

[@illsaveyes]

It’s been reborn w foreign help too many times already ffs. Leave it where it is🙏

[@anthonywhitehouse2295]

Pity it's not built in the UK. But saying that if they do reform it would be great news. I'd rather it be built in India than not at all

[@ackraux1010]

@@anthonywhitehouse2295 nah man, let the brand die in peace. rebadged rovers will get absolutely MURDERED in the press, as had happened with the city rover. Their whole thing(imo) was their beautiful looking sedans and the SD1, a genre of cars now dead thanks to SUVs and compact SUVs

[@iEnofadov]

I can't believe the Aussie Rover Quintet got a mention! Nice job! We received two Rovers that were rebadged Honda's for the Australian market. The first was the 1983 Rover Quintet 5dr hatch (Honda Quint) and the second was the 1986 Rover 416i 5dr hatch (1st generation Honda Integra). The Rover 200 and Rover 400 Series were never sold in Australia, though we did get the car that the 200/400 were based on, the Honda Concerto. Later on we did get the MG ZR 3dr and 5dr hatch and the MG ZS 5dr hatch (Rover 200/25 and Rover 400/45), but sales were very limited as the collapse of MG Rover followed in 2005.

[@JackosJingles]

They won't be Rovers just like the MGs these days are not MGs

[@Victor-DOOM]

Yep your right

[@andrewkingdon2000]

Correct, just like the MG 1100 was not an MG, the last Rileys were not a Riley and the last wolseley, in fact it's argued that the MG brand ended when BL closed the Abingdon factory. The Rover brand pretty much ended when Austin Rover stopped making the 3500 SD1 and started sharing platforms with Honda. It's also argued that current Minis are really Binis and nothing to do with Sir Alec Issigonis. The examples go on and on. Badge engineering has been happening ever since the badge itself was invented.

[@JSmith19858]

Would it make a difference? Rover sold a shonky Tata built car with a Rover badge on towards the end. One missed chance for a rebirth was Triumph. I reckon BMW 20 years ago should have sold a restyled Z4 badged as a Stag, like the Supra now.

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

It'd be nice to see the Rover's return... :)

[@Ianmundo]

having seen the cheap junk that’s now called MG, it’s just sad to see heritage marques bought for pennies and ignoring the ethos that the brands once stood for

[@jimtaylor294]

Indeed. From a business perspective it makes no long-term sense either, as it's a game of ever diminishing returns. Far better to play the long game, and focus on building up a brand's reputation for engineering excellence, amazing value or whatever it's specifically catering for.

[@BigLeek-ig3sb]

Okay but 1. MG is actually the lowest priced cars in the UK by miles in class and yet they are not worse than most established brands, in fact they're way better usually 2. Current MG isn't just a name. They are the full original MG with all the MG assets. 3. Thank MG for helping to finally reduce car prices in the UK by undercutting everyone by £10000

[@jimtaylor294]

^ Complete claptrap 😆 . Also; being rock bottom chinesium with transparent stolen valour branding isn't something to shout about 😆 . Give it a few years, and this fake G's will occupy the same category as the Alfa Romeo Arna does today; extinct on UK roads, and *still* perceived and derided as the clunker crap for the unwary that it always was 😆 .

[@jimtaylor294]

It's paradoxically still possible to buy an actual new MG though... albeit from British Motor Heritage, that still manufacturers all parts and complete bodyshells for the MGB.

[@BigLeek-ig3sb]

@@jimtaylor294 What part of this is claptrap? Also newsflash, basically everything that doesn't have a Toyota, Lexus or older Honda badge is junk. You act like MG is uniquely bad as if Stellantis aren't producing cars fit for the landfill from new for 50% more money. Nice you call it Chinesium as if that isn't a good thing. Where do you think lithium batteries come from? Lol.

[@acl6573]

Rover’s return should be kept to Coronation Street only…

[@HighFell]

This really all depends how it’s done. The Rover brand was packaged up with Land Rover when Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata. It’s was licensed back to MG R, one of the conditions being there was no 4wheel drive model, hence why the 4wheel drive R75 was going to be badged as an MG. Anyway…. With plans to move Jaguar further up market that leaves a place in the premium volume range at JLR, perfect Rover hunting ground. It is possible to build volume cars well and profitably in UK, look at Nissan in Sunderland. Toyota and Honda also made it work but sadly not sufficiently committed to UK but that’s more to do with issues back in Japan than the UK workforce. If Rovers are made in other countries, it’s not the end of the world. Who actually owns a car made in the country the brand originated in? It won’t be many, the world moves on

[@Jonathan-dq8hb]

There were stories of the Chinese building an MG plant in Oklahoma some years ago. Nothing came of it .

[@gazdav422]

It would be nice to see tata slot it just above mg in the market, to try and keep some of the brand's prestige and show that theyre serious about the rover name. I dont think it would be a fitting reboot being sold at the cheapest end of the market.

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

Exactly. They could do minimum suspension modifications, a nice interior and hood/facia, and get that mid-priced slightly upmarket customer. They will goof this up. Guaranteed.

[@kidcowdy1231]

The only problem I see with that idea is that’s where Jaguar sits, to be honest I imagine Jaguar could go down market soon as the brand is failing, it’s trading purely on brand name these days, if they were named anything else they would already be dead.

[@gazdav422]

They used to compete with Jag back in the 50s and 60s. Part of what happened to o them was because William Lyons was on the board of directors when bl took them over, and I think he had a lot to do with their downfall. Direct competitors under the same roof and one of those brands are the baby of one of the bigwigs. It just makes sense

[@kidcowdy1231]

@@gazdav422 oh yes, William Lyon’s is a huge part of rovers down fall but if you look at the present market, Jaguar are a failing brand trading only on their name, rover don’t even have a name to trade on anymore so why would tata risk releasing another brand without the reputation to compete head to head with a brand that is already failing. Don’t get me wrong I love rover and would buy a good rover over an equivalent Jaguar any day, but I’m odd and in the minority.

[@gazdav422]

@@kidcowdy1231 it probably won't happen, but it sounds like there could be a way in if they get the quality of their vehicles up. Not how flash and pimp they are, but building reliable cars. They would eventually take sales from mg and Jag.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

Tata's revival of Rover can't be any worse than SAIC's revival of MG

[@MarthaMansbridge]

Say what you like about the cars - they’re selling, and selling in every growing numbers. They seem to be able to fast track the generation of new models at a pace other brands can only dream of. I might not like that MG ended up in Chinese hands but most western manufacturers are so stuck in their ways, seem utterly lost and have no answer for this Chinese invasion.

[@21stcenturyozman20]

I recently encountered an MG4 and knocked on its body. *It sounded like cardboard!* As a former Rover fan - 14 in all, mainly P4s, P5s, and P6s - I think it's best to leave the Rover name to history, as any revival would likely be cheap, tawdry, and cardboardy.

[@john1v6]

@@21stcenturyozman20 Neighbour had an MG3 (the one that looks like a Fiat Punto). Total POS.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

Tata actually does the R&D of their own models in the UK through JLR’s facilities. So rebadged Tata cars as Rovers would basically be entirely British engineered cars. I see no problem in that. Just keep the engineering British and give us a decent British car, then we have a great resurrection of a car brand with much potential.

[@petersimms4982]

Ohhhh it can, China is way ahead with EVs , phones, computers, tvs, cameras, kitchen equipment, medical equipment. Have you ever bought anything with made in India on it? 😮 Tata have the bankruptcy of Land Rover to deal with very very soooooon 😢

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

Most of the big companies badge engineer their own models. Unique sheetmetal/facia from the windscreen forward, unique interior, and some suspension mods and you could have a slightly upscaled mid-priced model. THAT'S the market they could easily get. If the British have anything to do with it, history says they'll goof that up.

[@mattwilliams9261]

Excellent video as per usual, plus decent shirt choice 🤘😈🤘

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

I remeber in the late 90's early 2000's they tried to sell the Indica which flopped embarrassingly and an suv which sold ok and some pick up which sold reslly well. Some people were telling me that was the best pick up they ever had. 5-7 years later they were all gone. Both the brand as the cars. They vanished. No idea if they roted away, broke down or if people scrapped them. I know they make better cars now but also does their competitors.

[@swordscot]

I’ve wondered about this for quite some time. Tata make some really nice looking cars these days and they are already RHD, so it always made sense to me to sell them in markets such as UK and Australia etc. I wonder if people bother so much about badges these days. All the people who complained about MG coming back are strangely silent these days as the make some interesting cars.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

I’m still sour the Chinese put a British iconic badge on some Chinese crap.

[@swordscot]

@@mrgurulittle7000 Would you rather the name had been consigned to history? Of course I’d much rather it was a British brand, but no way in a Million years was that going to happen. i also think bringing it back has also revived interest in MG’s history and it’s previous models and, to me, that’s a good thing.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

@@swordscotTrue. But unlike Tata and their engineering being mostly if not all done by Brits, MG has no connections to the original MG, which is kind of sad.

[@cjmillsnun]

@@mrgurulittle7000 Have you actually driven an MG4? It's not crap. Also do you know where SAIC technical is? Longbridge. You know that place where they made the zed cars and the MGF/TF

[@mrgurulittle7000]

@@cjmillsnunThere’s nothing much going on at Longbridge anymore except a busy dealership. And although the MG’s are ok-ish cars, they still fall short of the durability of the average Japanese car. I think it was Australia where MG was voted one of the least reliable and most problematic car brands. C’mon, it’s a Chinese brand so what do we expect.

[@paultaylor9652]

Great idea, as many young people by 2030 won't know the story of Rover and its demise. It could be MG but a with greater come back.

[@brendanpells912]

The Chinese did revive the Rover 75 as a Roewe. A chap in our office quit his job to go and work in China to put together all the production equipment that was salvaged from Longbridge and shipped to China.

[@thearousedeunuch]

Yes, but they couldn't use the Rover name and badge themselves. That was the point.

[@studiocalder818]

​@@thearousedeunuchBut the name is still under propriety of that wretched cannibal of Bmw, isn't it?

[@dominicharris6470]

@@studiocalder818 no, TATA own it

[@studiocalder818]

@@dominicharris6470 How long? Have they bought lately? When they sold the 75 production lines to the Chinese, BMW they kept the brand. ...A miserable choice to make a small, big house disappear

[@ScreamingLordStokes]

It would be wierd at first, as it was seeing the MG badge on new evs, but i suppose we'd get used to it. Nice T shirt by the way, i saw Megadeth eight times between 1987 and 1991, starting with the infamous Hammersmith Odeon gig, then met Dave Mustaine and the So Far, So Good era band at Manchester Apollo. Good times, but was it really over thirty years ago! Keep up the good work Tom.

[@markdine9828]

Great video, I had an mg zr 160 back in the day when it was new and had some happy memories with that car being 20 at the time sadly it didn’t age well for how new it was at the time and eventually part exchanged losing bags of money on it for a new fiesta ST, but I’ve still got the “MG ZR” flag that was outside longbridge! Because in my opinion it wasn’t the best car but I loved the idea of it… keep up the great videos!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Would love to see Rover back, but its just going to be a Crossover.Like the MG's its never going to be True Rover, its just a badge on another car to come into the european market. Intresting video and well presented.

[@alannorman6166]

Working for a Rover dealer in the early 90s Infact their were waiting times for some of the 200 series and as a vehicle were good as you would get then BMW arrived and that was the beginning of the end and of course emissions also played a part with some of the model and bmw helped them selfs to the Land Rover 4 wheel drive technology what amazes me at roughly the same time of rovers demise Vw took control of Skoda and seat both vehicles that were not known for their exiting range and quality and look at both of those brands today so why didn’t BMW make rover work and of course the new mini well we know that got taken as well

[@abc33944]

We need a sd1 vittesse remake I’d buy one even if it was a hybrid

[@gordonyoung3668]

I would rather Rover was left in peace rather than be used as a Trojan horse, IMHO.

[@Whatshisname346]

I’m a fan of it for 2 reasons; If you use or even expand the JLR dealer network to sell ‘Rovers’ chances are the increased footfall could bring new customers to JLR products. Why buy a Rover when for a couple of thousand more you could have a freelander or an e-pace which have better profit margins. Secondly Jag and to a lesser extent LR are going fully electric. If TATA were to build a budget EV platform JLR could reskin and rebadge it and hey presto you have a high margin JLR electric car for a fraction of the cost of developing a specific platform. Keeping JLR alive is all about volume and margins, with TATA taking on more of the engineering cost it could be a winning strategy. Finally, if we could have a Rover Harrier then maybe we could name all new Rovers after classic British fighter planes. It would give the brand appeal to a very broad audience. The brand is otherwise dead with an ‘old fart’ image forever that no amount of ‘doesn’t the SD1 look like a Daytona’ can ever make cool.

[@bigbird2100]

Great video 👍 The sad truth is even if rover had the new mini the outcome would have been the same 😢.The ingrained management bs did not translate into long-term planning and vision as history has shown!

[@j3xk72r9]

Along similar lines, I wonder what Tata will do with the Jaguar brand? I have my doubts that their re-invention as a high priced, luxury brand is going to work.

[@Deltic55-mw4bo]

maybe they're opening a gap in their lineup for rover to take it's place as a merc rival ;)

[@mrgurulittle7000]

Jaguar should just be luxury sports cars and low volume executive sedans. No need for them to be either Rolls or BMW because Jaguar has its own unique brand recognition that will determine its ultimate position. I think if Jaguar can stick to executive sedans and luxury sports cars then they would have a much more clear brand distinction than trying to compete with Land Rover in the crossover market. On the other hand if Rover was to be revived, they’d be a more mass market brand to bring in the big bucks JLR was hoping to get with Jaguar and Land Rover.

[@freiduumforall8843]

If Tata did revive Rover…..but as an electric only vehicle…..sorry, not interested.

[@TheFrem1]

Another great video Tom plus instead of a BL/Rover Group demise, a slightly forward "What if" video. FWIW to me and those old enough to remember the last time Tata and Rover got together for the awful City Rover (How many were sold and still around?) it worries me, Tata has turned Jaguar into the most boring cars, There are no more Jag's made now you could say what a beautiful car, They're just like most other EV's. You can see why Tata would want a foothold in the mid price EV market because MG are doing so well in that field. If Tata holds the Rover name, I guess it could be a good way to introduce their own cheaper cars that the British/European markets would recognize the name. Its all about volume of sales and maybe the Rover name might be a way to increase sales, I see that the Chinese car maker BYD are to build a factory in Turkey to overcome import tariffs and i imagine Tata will look at that closely because the cars won't be built in the UK at JLR's plant. But its all if's and but's at the moment like you said in the video, Just a shame that it won't be a British Rover company exploring this relaunch idea.

[@keithshayle7027]

Interesting video, and it's something that could well work. For my daily driver I bought back in May a new MG3 HYBRID, which was thousands less than its rivals, particularly the Renault Clio Hybrid or Toyota Yaris Hybrid. After discount I paid £18,900 for a Trophy model with metallic paint (incl finance promotion discount), and innthe last few months I have to say its every bit as good as any of its rivals, including adaptive cruise lane assist and a host of other features. In regard to your video and brand perception, I recently gave a lift to a friend. To make conversation she asked what kind of car it was, when I told her MG she hadn't got a clue who they were, even wondering if it were something to do with 'GM'!!!! So apart from possible links to LR or RR, which given their status would do Rover no harm, the previous generation of Rover cars are now long forgotten. Final point, having been an owner of both a new 820Sli in 1992 and a 25 in 2001, and with my family all owning a number of other Rover models from around that time, its regrettable that the brand had to disappear in the first place!

[@maltesephil]

My Grandad always seend to have rovers. P6, sd1 and a late 90s 400 (he had a few austin / morris's etc too)

[@mikeyratcliff3400]

Wotcha mate, once again an excellent video, now, if you are up for it, how about a slightly more demanding piece of research- yep I know it is not from the bmc/bl stable, but I am stumped for information, but its a thing that rivalled the range rover /land rover stranglehold on all terrain emergency vehicles, I give you the Ford transit County 4x4, the transfer box from the Ford bronco, produced in powys Inn mk2, 3, 4, and 5 transits, mine is a mk5 ex Keswick mountain rescue, bespoke by County, and my daily drive... thanks for you and your channel, its a bug that when it bites it locks on, and ultimately makes us happy- I've run out of leads on this particular subject, yep tranny forums etc, you might have summat else up ya sleeve- keep up the good work ( trying to force myself not to put a 200 td5 in it as the 2.4 has a confirmed 24k (yep! ) on the clock in 29 years! All the best can't wait for the next one!

[@chuckylugs9607]

I loved my British Racing Green coloured 214Gsi ❣️so, if they made an electric version I’d be interested. An electric version of the classic P5 would be even more tempting though❗️✨

[@DavidGoudie995]

Good video Tom. This seems to be just around the corner, thankfully without damaging the Rover or Land Rover word marks or branding. Freelander is the name to be used. Check out various articles on line or direct from JLR media.

[@tomdrives]

Great stuff David, will look at that now!

[@OverDriveOnline7921]

A key thing to remember with the CityRover debacle is that Rover applied a premium price to a car with interiors made from chocolate box tray plastic. This hurt the CityRover and the Rover brand more than the car itself. Had the car been £2000 cheaper, which it easily could have been, then it may well have faired better, not brilliantly, but better. The irony is that a better TaTa Inca came as Rover died, making the CityRover a half decent car, arguably better than some (NOT all) of its contemporaries of the time, but again had the price been lower. Better interior, better suspension, better build quality out of the TaTa factory, which made a better car coming out of the Rover factory, but alas, too little way too late. Some were sold and are well regarded by those that have them, but most were sold after the administrators moved in and sold off inventory. The overall death of Rover though was a done deal once BAE got their hands on the company, because at that point, investment was a dirty word, and every penny had to be accounted for and saved at any cost! Just look at the 800 series restyle for a perfect example of BAE trying to save money and saving nothing!

[@richardforth3246]

My dad had a silver 2300 SD1 when I was a kid. It’s the only car I wish I could drive, let alone own one and restore it with my dad. Still think they look amazing and every time I luckily see one, I always think I wish that was mine

[@thatcheapguy525]

as a former owner of a P6 3500 (the last real Rover) and a 2300S SD1 (a Triumph-Rover) what the brand once stood for is long gone. the fact the brand is owned by Tata via its Jaguar Land Rover division is no bad thing. if they resurrect it for sure they'll use it as a badge engineering exercise which is fine considering everything that's gone before. want a nice new Vauxhall? its a Peugeot. fancy a new Jeep? its a FIAT. what about a sleek new Mustang or Capri? they're big heavy SUEVs. the meaning has been lost by the marketing boys.

[@philhealey4443]

I'm with you on the SD1 Triumphness; I'm always ranting about the front suspension turret design.

[@thatcheapguy525]

@@philhealey4443 I didn't have the chance to analyse the similarities between the Triumph 2000/Stag front end and that of the SD1 but they appeared very similar. the 2300 and 2600 engines were heavily updated Triumph 6s. knowing how BL reused as much of the parts bin as possible where ever possible it would all make sense. afterall, if ever there was a manufacturers 'kit car' the TR7 fitted that one lol.

[@philhealey4443]

@thatcheapguy525 I spent plenty of time under the bonnet of my 4 year old 2600 over six months, getting familiar with it, replacing the head gasket, brake master cylinder, exhaust and a Great Deal More. At least they gave you good engine bay access.

[@richardwilton722]

The thing is, the Rover brand lives on already, in a way, in JLR. The first1948 Land Rover was a Rover product, and for long period of history it remained so. Land Rover was only formed as a separate company, within British Leyland, 30 years later in 1978. They were both part of the same conglomerate until BMW sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. MG Rover only produced Rover cars by licensing the name. They never owned the trademark. That's why they focussed so much on reintroducing MG for tuned up saloons, hatchbacks and estates. When MG-Rover went bust, Tata acquired the Rover brand from BMW to prevent its being used on Chinese-built cars, but, until now, they haven't used it. If the plain Rover brand were to be resurrected for Indian cars, this would go against that thinking. If the thinking were to be reversed, it would be an acknowledgement of SAIC's success with MG, and Geely's success with Polestar, that European up-market brands can survive being manufactured in Asia.

[@gwheregwhizz]

There's a lot of sense in using a dormant brand name like Rover. There will be many Chinese car manufacturers coming over before 2030, and for the consumer it's going to get very confusing. Tata isn't Chinese but establishing a new brand (as seen with BYD and Ora) is difficult, slow and requires a huge budget. The only Chinese brand to gain any traction in the UK so far is using a heritage name, 840,000 MGs sold globally in 2023.

[@briandawkins984]

And you may recall getting decent sales volumes for SAIC MG in the UK in the first decade of ownership was a difficult.

[@tetchuma]

If it did come back, it wouldn’t be British. (Which might help reliability, but wouldn’t be desirable)

[@sbrader97]

As long as it doesn't use ingenium engines it probably would be more reliable lol

[@MrdjMob]

Had 2 75's first had 8 owners 140 k miles on it after 40 k miles hadn't spent a penny on it apart from tyres Other one 20 k miles same thing not even a penny on anything not even oil change Sold both still drives ok What sort of reliability problems u talking about Absolutely bulletproof

[@sbrader97]

@@MrdjMob K series? Or was they diesel if so that doesn't really count

[@MrdjMob]

@sbrader97 yes diesel Why it don't count?

[@sbrader97]

@@MrdjMob Because it's a BMW engine and most old diesel engines are reliable anyway

[@davidjbatley]

However I've owned a Hyundai i10 for nearly 14 years a Indian designed built car it's been the best and most reliable car I've owned and getting very close to 150 k. I had a Rover 600 in the late 90s and it was plagued with electrical issues and then it started to rot.

[@dylanjimenez1952]

Great video

[@MotorTorq_ZA]

I think this decision would make sense, considering Tata cars are designed in the UK, and the prestige of the Rover brand. Instead of keeping the Harrier, Nexin, and Safari names, how’s this? Safari: Sterling, or P6-X Harrier: Crossroad, or P4-X Nexon: Streetwise, or P2-X Curvv: Streetwise-B (reminiscent of the P5 B which was a coupe version of the P5), or P3-B

[@paulillingworth1242]

I’ve had x2 Rovers in the past and had them many years great cars, my late dad had Rovers, I think they built something moderately priced and nice I don’t think it’d be a bad thing Rover coming back.

[@35geordielad]

It would be good to see the Rover brand revived under the Land Rover banner. Question is, does it fit along side Jaguar cars or fit in below that along side of Ford, Kia/Hyundai etc ....

[@stuarthowarth2972]

Legislation is not working, people simply won't accept, and are not buying EVs...Most are fleet/company purchases

[@john1v6]

Yep. Hand it back at the end of the lease with a knackered battery and get another.

[@martintaper7997]

Maybe they could start with something easier, maybe Standard, which were made to 1988 in India, and a Standard Vanguard 2.0 motor was fitted to the Indian version of the Rover SD1, the Standard 2000.

[@bill-a-bongbill6228]

I would love it to happen that TATA harrier looks a nice car, if it came over to the uk as a rover i would deffently have a test drive, but price and service support would have to come into it, they could use JLR show rooms for sales and enquiries same way BYD is poping up in show rooms. Near to me there is a BYD showroom in with seat cuppra show room, i thought it was a bit strange but it could work

[@DeanAndrews-xg3dc]

There's no reason Rover can't be a success like MG, after all TATA haven't exactly trashed JLR.

[@garymorris801]

Be nice to see it happen 😊

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

Riley has that 'e' sound in the second syllable for electric and nobody can remember those badge engineered efforts. I think it is ripe for reuse. Keep Rover in reserve, roll out Riley with it being affordable along the Dacia line.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

@@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330 how do you pronounce "Riley"? Quite weirdly it seems! Or should I say "weirdleeee"?

[@briandawkins984]

I think Riley is still the property of BMW

[@a11csc]

lets see what evolves Tom

[@alantunbridge8919]

I own one of the last true Rover’s ,a 1971 RoverP6B Series 2. Ilive in South Africa since 1973 & bought this car in February 1974 & use it on occasion still ,it still runs well. The cars assembled here were of abysmal build quality & certain systems,e.g. cooling,inadequate,however, working in the motor industry in dngineering as l was l was able to sort these problems out .l love the car & curse the bodies guilty of killing a well respected marque.

[@lewis72]

As far as I'm concerned, Rover never died. You can still buy a Land Rover, Range Rover etc. today. Early Land Rovers were listed on their log books as just "Rover".

[@tomdrives]

Nail on the head there. Exactly my thoughts.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Isn't Lo-Vei owned by a chinese company? Were they not an active brand in china about 10 years ago.

[@safirahmed]

Free supply of a range of Tata tea for the life of the Rover car ownership could be one possible incentive.

[@TerencePatterson-p9k]

Excellent Idea 👍

[@numberstation]

I’m sorry but I don’t believe there’s the slightest chance they will revive the Rover brand anytime soon, if ever. Building higher volume, lower priced (and lower profit) cars with a badge that very few people care about isn’t something I can see them being interested in. To make any kind of money on such vehicles they would have to be built overseas, and their plant in Slovakia is busy producing models that return far more profit per car than any Rover could hope to do. That leaves production in India or China, and how is that any different to a modern MG? As it is, new British designed and built Jags, with all their prestige and heritage, lag behind their competitors in terms of sales. Despite being wonderful cars that are at least as good and often better than their rivals not enough people buy them. What chance a Rover? We have to face the fact that Rover is dead. Just enjoy those that still remain.

[@keno77]

Why humiliating the Rover brand in this manner,as a classic renown brand that many people was longing to own,it went fast down the slippery slope to finally disappearing in to history. Don't destroy the nice memory of once a great car. I've had 2 P6 , one the 2000 TC -67 and one 3500 V8 -69 both great car's that I still remember with happiness, most of them are gone now but if I could find one in a good state, preferably the V8 I would want one.

[@paddycoleman1472]

Well the current MGs are not real MGs so why not slap a Rover badge on a Tata car. The success of a reborn Rover will not be down to the badge but like MG providing good quality vehicles that represent exceptional value. If the new Rovers look acceptable, with good levels of kit and reasonable performance backed up by a long warranty then they will sell. The key is getting the value proposition right.

[@chrisbury4635]

It would be nice to see the return of Rover but i think it would be unsuitable as an SUV, regardless of ownership i think if Rover were to return then they should be branded as a more luxury saloon car brand just like they were in their heyday but i don't think that would happen unfortunately, I've just finished reading the book mentioned in a previous video about the partnership between Honda and Rover, it was such a shame Honda weren't interested in a take over of Rover because the future may have been brighter but unfortunately they had their own interests in mind with Swindon etc.

[@naulahka1]

Indian car quality is improving constantly.The Suzuki Swift,2024 model is selling so well in Australia as everyone else has pulled out of small cars.

[@paulmcfarlane6034]

I get why they would do it for commercial reasons following the success of MG. But I own two MG,'s and neither are Chinese knock offs, so an Indian Rover wouldn't be for me. I wouldn't want a German Bentley either, but if I was in charge of marketing Tata cars in Europe I would absolutely use the Rover badge.

[@kidcowdy1231]

I would love rover to come back, even as a re badged Tata, if they played their card right and built up a market share there is a good chance it could leap into mainstream once again and slowly become its own brand once again. I think likelihood is low though as Jaguar is an during brand, if they were going to use a brand I wouldn’t be surprised if they took Jaguar down market as all that’s really left of jags is the brand name.

[@kimsmith9228]

Why have you used a picture of a Ford Cortina Mk3 in a Rover video?

[@markjones-vx3kp]

The comments are right ,when you look at the likes of the P6 and even the SD1 these are gone only to be preserved by the likes of us never to return not some badge engineered Indian EV RIP

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Tata Harrier has Land Rover Freelander/Evoque underpinnings. Some Rover engineers ended up with Tata in India. The Indica wasn't supplied in kit form. Tatas have been sold in the UK but it didn't go well. Rover arguably never died - it just changed its name to Roewe... It gets even more complicated with the RHD MG's sold/built in India but not seen over here, eg the Hector and Gloster. MG may be selling well in the UK but their dealers have recently voted them the worst brand to work with, eg aftersales support (see CDM). I can't see Rover cars being integrated into JLR dealerships - there has been enough turmoil there already with dealer/agency muddling and the canning of most Jaguar models. Land Rover were going to do a 2wd road oriented SUV/station wagon fairly recently but it got canned, Now what about BMW bringing Triumph back...

[@hurstinator]

We did have the Tata Safari and the Tata HL/SL in the Uk, i remember there was two of the Safaris where i used to live. I am not sure where you would of bought a tata from in the UK, it probably was a very small car dealer. Similar to how Perdoua and skoda orignally was.

[@rolfmak1400]

The strategy for Jaguar now seems to be to go upmarket towards Bentley territory. Which leaves room for a resurrected Rover to fill in the gap and perhaps go a little lower as the Jaguar XE. Who knows…

[@FrewstonBooks]

I believe the car world is going to change drastically in the next few years. We will see ever fewer individual brands, and more and more platform sharing. Only Tesla may remain independent, but then it created its own market. I can't see any room for what is going to be a new independent brand, unless there is something very special and unique about it. I have a Rover 416, lovely car with a Honda engine and lots of Honda engineering, but it belongs to a bygone age. Rover should stay revered in its grave.

[@vikramrao6391]

If this is indeed true, I'd offer Royal Enfield as an example of how these new Rovers might emerge and feel. Tata SUV's have range rover underpinnings as is. Unlike the Chinese, English input would be key to making the brand a success once again. Cannot talk about the manufacturing. Here's hoping for the best, Rovers were good looking cars and deserve a chance to live on.

[@UrbanoDagrippino]

Some Tata car model still use engines from Fiat fire used up until grande Punto evo

[@mossi408]

In future: Rover, Land-Rover, Range-Rover, "real(!)"-Rover (the perfect old ones). 😂 In my case, a P6 project.

[@richardwilton722]

The Tata Harrier is based on the same platform as the Range Rover Evoque and the Jaguar E-Pace anyway. It has a simpler rear suspension and a locally produced Fiat diesel engine, and some other changes. The Indian market requires simpler, robust, no frills engineering.

[@richardpiper4828]

I’m afraid this would be a flawed strategy. The potential damage to the Range ROVER and Land ROVER brands could be enormous. JLR have done a very good job at positioning their SUV brand even higher than the German prestige brands and they must maintain this status to be able to command their sky high prices. I guess Tata are already looking to platform share with the successors to the Evoque and Discovery Sport which is going to be a stretch in maintaining these models as “British”. Another huge problem is that unlike China India shows no great appetite for EVs. This is still a largely undeveloped country with poor roads and infrastructure incapable of supporting the charging of EVs, except in a few densely populated cities. Tata will not therefore have a big enough home market to create the economies of scale to support the development and manufacture of the millions of EVs necessary to compete with the likes of MG and BYD. Tata might be better resurrecting the Austin or Morris badges - if indeed they own them. BTW perhaps the UK Govt could take a leaf (excuse the pun) out of the Italians and offering these lapsed trade marks in exchange for the Chinese setting up car plants in the UK. This would also give them low tariff access to the US.

[@john1v6]

Range Rover ownership is all about status. Its certainly not about reliability!

[@nickbrown6457]

Austin and Morris brands are both owned by SAIC. Another comment above mentions Riley, which is owned by BMW. The only legacy brand owned by JLR is Rover, as far as I'm aware.

[@TheMileswin]

Well there is no doubt that JLR do not have vehicles to fill many market segments and Tata has access to a competitive labour force and factories. I don't see it any different from BMW building the Mini 2000 onwards. There is enough tech and resources in the company to build a global mass market range of vehicles under the Rover brand.

[@arwynowen6508]

Rover comeback would be great news. Espesialy a city car like the metro .

[@anthonywhitehouse2295]

I really hope that they can make it possible for the ROVER Name and all that rover consumed like Triumph to make a comeback. Long live Rover.

[@deanosaur808]

BMW still own Triumph

[@anthonywhitehouse2295]

@@deanosaur808 arseh0135 bloody bmw .

[@ewanstewart8011]

We as the car buying public in Britain need more affordable vehicles because as far as I’m concerned we are being priced off the road, so if a Rover is priced within my budget I for one would buy it. Most of the problems with cheap cars stems from lack of rust prevention cheap interior plastics poor NVH poorly engineered power plants and gear boxes so if Tata can believe in the product and give us a 24/36 month warranty they should have a better than average chance of success 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏻

[@stethesteguy2093]

Land-rover Indians did well, jaguar Indians did well, royal enfield Indians did well, BSA Indians did well...... Do you see the pattern?

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Tata good, SAIC bad. I really hope the Indians do bring Rover back. It has to be better than MG.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

@@UncleJoeLITE not sure the workers at Port Talbot would agree...