Audi will finally develop...
Audi will finally develop their Steppenwolf concept into a production vehicle, but won’t be using the A3’s chassis and body design. Instead, it is going to use a refined quattro all-wheel-drive system and powerful petrol engines as well as TDIs built around a redesigned A4 chassis. The car is likely to hit the roads in 2007 and will be amongst the first compact SUVs to be at the dealers, by then badged the Q5. While the massive bumpers, the sump guard and the chrome door sill protections can be regarded as pure show, the greater ground clearance in combination with powerful engines and an extended towing capacity will certainly appeal young buyers with sporty ambitions.
The move comes after...
The move comes after the company announced plans to expand its European dealer network to more than 1,000 outlets by the end of this year. It"s in recognition of the fact that "Britishness" is often the key to the brand"s appeal.
MG Rover"s chief of sales and marketing, Rod Ramsay, said: "Our European customers love buying British, and cars don"t come more British than ours. It"s a natural marketing advantage we"re looking to build on at every opportunity."
The campaign is biggest in Germany, where salesmen at a Berlin dealer have dressed up as bobbies on the beat. Later this month, the firm will recreate an Albert Hall-style "Last Night of the Proms" in the city, with Union Jack bowler hats, bobbing Promenaders and big-band versions of Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance. It"s also backing a Shakespeare festival, to be held in a handcrafted replica of the Globe Theatre, and has donated money towards the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche, the Dresden church destroyed by British bombers in WWII.
Further afield, MG Rover showrooms in Italy are running a competition promoting the use of the English language - the top prize being a holiday in Britain. In the Netherlands, dealers are offering cricket workshops for customers as part of a sales promotions package.
In France, Portugal and Spain, the firm is supporting events associated with traditional British pastimes such as rowing, tennis and gardening. It"s also backing Luxembourg"s national "Rover 75 Supporters Club". The group meets regularly to celebrate the car"s Britishness, and will drive in convoy to the centenary celebrations at MG Rover"s Longbridge plant this summer in the West Midlands.