Roewe 550 hybrid in the works, batteries maybe foreign

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The hybrid car market in China has yet to be exploited on a wide scale, BYD have entered the market with their BYD F3DM but that has yet to see mass market sales, the Prius is sold in China with a sky high price tag as is the Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota are making waves about bringing their Camry hybrid to China but nothing has been cemented as of yet.

The Roewe 550 really is the dark horse of the Chinese car industry, its a Chinese built (with British help) compact sedan that has managed to take on the almighty Ford Focus in the compact sedan segment and has actually managed to hold its own against the mighty media machine of the blue oval. The Focus is a well established car in China with a well established media presence, the Roewe brand on the other hand is the plucky underdog that has only been on the market for less than three years but has managed to build up a brand and held its own against the multinational car companies.

SAIC are working on a hybrid version of the Roewe 550 which is going to launch in 2010 according to media reports. A mixture of Roewe and SAIC vehicles are going to be used at the world expo event in Shanghai, and will be a mixture of pure electric cars, fast charging electric buses, CNG vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

The source of batteries for a future Roewe 550 are still under debate, SAIC have reportedly talked with BYD, Korean manufactures and other foreign manufacturers with regards to battery supplies. A hybrid test model is apparently already undergoing road testing, and will save upto 50% fuel over its gasoline using cousin. SAIC are reportedly preparing Roewe 550 hybrids, as well as plugin pure electric models.