THE British marque of Rover cars is now officially available in the territory with the opening of a showroom dedicated to Rover and the launch of the acclaimed new Rover 620. Ian Skeggs, director of Inchcape Motors Ltd, the parent company of Dodwell Motors, sole importer of Rover cars, said that now was the right time to bring Rover to Hong Kong because the range of Rover cars was competitive. The strength of the Japanese yen was a factor in favour of Rover, according to Mr Skeggs, as this made European cars more attractively priced against their Japanese counterparts. Kenneth Tsang, chief executive of Dodwell Motors, said Hong Kong was now ''enjoying a Rover boom'' and the old showroom which was shared with other makes of car was overwhelmed by the volume of Rover sales. Turnover of Rover cars has increased from a minuscule amount to 200 since last November. Most sales have been of the popular 216 Cabriolet. The new showroom is still located in Harcourt House in Wan Chai. Hong Kong is the first market outside of Europe to be supplied with the new 620 Rover and Dodwell Motors is relying on the car to establish the Rover marque as a quality product in the territory. The 620 is Rover's much modified version of Honda's Accord, sharing the Japanese car's floor, suspension and engine. Mechanically, the 620 and the Accord are identical, featuring a two-litre, four-cylinder, 16-valve Honda engine that has already been described as the best in its class by the British motoring press. Maximum output is 131 brake horsepower, giving the 620 a top speed in excess of 190 kilometres per hour and a 0-100 kp/h time of about 10 seconds. The Rover 620 is offered by Dodwell Motors at an introductory price of $299,000, with all options included. The Rover range in Hong Kong is now nearly complete, starting with the $199,800 216GSi; 220 turbo; 416; through to the range-leading 620. The off-road Discovery, Defender and Range Rover will also be offered in the new Rover showroom.
