V6 Saga: From Rover to Roewe, With Help From Ricardo

SHANGHAI, China — When Shanghai Auto bought a package of intellectual property from Britain's defunct MG Rover group, it also acquired the rights to the automaker's aging KV6 engine.

But the V6 that sits under the hood of SAIC's recently introduced Roewe 750 sedan, while sharing the basic architecture of the old KV6, is a much more modern power plant, thanks to engineering assistance from Ricardo.

The British engineering firm has worked with a number of Chinese manufacturers, including Chery and Lifan, as well as SAIC. Ricardo was commissioned specifically by SAIC to re-engineer the KV6 and assist in setting up the new Baoshan engine manufacturing plant near Shanghai.

As modified by Ricardo for the Roewe 750 sedan, the updated 2.5-liter KV6 is fitted with a Siemens engine management system and meets Euro IV emissions standards. The engine makes 188 horsepower and is mated to an Aisin five-speed automatic transmission. The near-luxury sedan is capable of 0-60 acceleration in 10.2 seconds.

Ricardo continues to work with the Chinese auto giant on the development of SAIC's in-house automotive R&D capability for future products.

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