Austin Maestro
Encyclopedia
The Austin Maestro is a compact-sized 5-door hatchback
car
(and van
derivative) that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover
subsidiary of British Leyland (BL), and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group
. The car was produced at the former Morris
plant in Cowley
, Oxford. It was initially sold as an Austin
and a MG
. Later models have sometimes been referred to as the Rover Maestro, but the model never wore the Rover
badge.
was nationalised. In 1977 the South Africa
n-born corporate troubleshooter, Sir Michael Edwardes
, was recruited as chairman to sort out the troubled firm. Part of Edwardes' plan was to introduce a completely new range of mass-market models to replace the current offerings, designed and built using state-of-the-art technology. The new range eventually decided upon consisted of a new vehicle for each of the small, lower-medium and upper-medium market segments.
). Preliminary design work for LC10 began in 1977.
LC10 was styled by Ian Beech under the direction of BL designer David Bache
. Two main body variations were provided: a five-door hatchback
and a four-door notchback
. It was a departure from previous front-wheel drive cars from the company in that it dispensed with the famous Issigonis
transmission-in-sump powertrain that had been pioneered in the Mini
. Coupled to the A-Series
and R-Series powerplants was an end-on transmission (as pioneered by FIAT
with the Autobianchi Primula
), purchased from Volkswagen
. The sophisticated Hydragas suspension system used on previous BL models was sacrificed on cost grounds, with a conventional MacPherson strut
system at the front and a Volkswagen Golf
style torsion beam at the rear being used instead, despite the compromise in terms of lost load space. Prototypes were even tested with actual Golf suspension components. This may have led to the Achilles heel of the early cars, which were prone to front-wheel bearing wear/failure. The Maestro was larger and heavier than the first VW Golf.
It was decided that the five-door hatchback version would be engineered first. It was given its own project designation, LM10, with this version to be launched as the Austin Maestro. The booted notchback version was to follow and it was designated as LM11, although its development was to diverge from the original path, it was later launched as the Austin Montego
.
versions had solid-state instrumentation with digital speedometer and vacuum fluorescent
analogue displays for tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges, trip computer
and a voice synthesis warning and information system.
The Maestro was launched in March 1983. In its summing up of the new car the Consumers' Association
, in the June edition of its Which? journal, described it as roomy, comfortable, and nice to drive, and said "If you are considering buying one now, our advice, based on our first impressions, is to go ahead". In January 1984, after testing the car, they concluded: "In comparison with opposition of a similar price and body size, the Maestro has a clear advantage on room for passengers, with few cars equalling it for comfort either in the front or back". They also considered it to be a serious rival to the higher-segment Vauxhall Cavalier
and Ford Sierra
, apart from its smaller boot space.
from the Austin Maxi
because the under-development S-Series unit was not yet ready for production. R-Series units suffered from hot starting problems and premature crankshaft failure.
The new S-Series engine eventually appeared in July 1984, and was fitted to all existing 1.6-litre Maestros. The new S-Series engine also came fitted with electronic ignition. At the same time, some minor equipment upgrades were made across the range. The 1.3 litre base model gained head restraints, a passenger door mirror and a radio. The 1.3 litre 1.3 HLE, 1.6 litre 1.6 Automatic and 1.6 HLS all gained a radio/cassette player.
In October 1984, there were more equipment upgrades made across the range. The 1.3 base model gained reclining front seats, door bins, locking fuel filler cap and a clock. The L models gained cloth door trim, upgraded upholstery, and a remote-adjustable driver's side door mirror; the 1.6 L gained a 5-speed gearbox. The 1.3 HLE gained a 5-speed "4+E" gearbox with overdrive
5th gear ratio, side mouldings, tweed cloth upholstery and a remotely-adjustable passengers' side door mirror. The HLS and 1.6 Automatic gained tinted glass, central locking, electric front windows, velour upholstery and an upgraded radio/cassette player. The MG Maestro gained an electronic fuel-injected 115 bhp version of the 2-litre O-Series engine, uprated suspension and ventilated front disc brakes, colour-keyed exterior trim, tinted glass, central locking and a leather-trimmed steering wheel.
Also in October 1984, the existing Maestro line-up was joined by the 1.3 HL and 1.6 HL. These models fitted between the L and HLE models.
August 1985 saw the arrival of the 1.3 City and 1.3 City X. The 1.3 City was similar to the previous 1.3 base model. The 1.3 City X added full carpeting, cloth upholstery, head restraints, a rear parcel shelf, a radio and a manually operated choke. These models also did without the plastic bumpers, having more conventional steel bumpers with plastic end caps similar to the Maestro van.
The original dashboard was of a multi-piece construction, and gained a reputation for being flimsy and prone to squeaks and rattles, so in February 1986, this was replaced with the more conventional dashboard from the Montego
. At the same time more minor equipment upgrades were made across the range. The City X gained door bins and rear wash/wipe. The L and LE gained tweed trim. The HL and Automatic gained velour trim and additional brightwork. The Vanden Plas gained part leather trim and uprated electronic stereo system.
Following BL's sale to British Aerospace
in 1986, Austin badges were dropped in 1987 for the 1988 model year, and the range was sustained by the noisy but economical direct injection naturally aspirated Perkins diesel
unit launched the previous year. Unfortunately, without a turbo this model was rather slow.
Following the launch of the new Rover 200 in October 1989, production of the Maestro was pruned back to mostly the entry-level models (with the MG variants being axed during 1991). Production had peaked at more than 101,000 units in 1983, and as late as 1989 nearly 60,000 were made. However, that figure fell to 38,762 in 1990, more than halving the following year to 18,450.
In 1992 the 81 bhp high revving Rover MDi / Perkins Prima turbo diesel unit from the Montego was launched, in the now reduced Maestro range (after the launch of the Rover 200/400), as a Clubman or DLX. The turbo improved refinement, as well as performance, at no cost to fuel economy. It was very competitively priced, it was about the same price as the Rover Metro
and Peugeot 205
non-turbo diesel supermini
s that were a size smaller. The only other engine option was the elderly 1.3 A-series.
In 1993, What Car?
buyers' guide section said: "Yes, its old, but nowadays it's also very cheap. Popularity of noisy but economical and surprisingly rapid turbodiesel is what keeps this roomy car going."
Also in 1993, The Automobile Association
road tested the Turbo Diesel. Their verdict: "You're hardly likely to buy a Maestro diesel to improve your street cred! For turning heads, the 218/418
diesel is a much better proposition. However, disinterested passengers love the back seat, while the driver can relish the model's marked reluctance to visit filling stations. Here's a hatchback for buyers who are really serious about the substance rather than the image – and with a price tag that's thousands of pounds lower than most of its rivals (shown in our comparison chart), you start saving even before your first forecourt stop. Unless you're averse to gearchanging, this unpretentious Maestro turbo-diesel, at its competitive price, can't seriously be faulted."
In 1993, however, production fell to just over 7,000 units and in its final year, 1994, just over 4,000 were produced, the last one rolling off the production line in December. The chassis development for the Maestro and Montego's rear suspension was used as a basis for later Rover cars, and was well regarded.
In September 1995, production was transferred to Varna
, Bulgaria, in complete knock down (CKD) kit form. Around 2,000 vehicles were produced before the company (Rodacar AD) ceased production in April 1996 due to high import costs of the components and little demand for the cars. The majority of the Maestros produced were exported to other countries, including the UK. A small number of these were sold by Apple 2000 Ltd. of Bury St. Edmunds, and registered on an "N" prefix.
In 1997, Parkway Services of Ledbury
, Herefordshire, purchased a batch of 621 Maestro cars and vans in CKD kit form. These had been stored at Cowley, Oxfordshire, since their production in mid-1996, when they became surplus to requirements. The company built up the cars and converted the majority of them to RHD form using up Rover's supply of parts. The National Database for Motoring Insurance has records of models registered between "R" and "51" number plates, meaning the overall period of Maestro availability, new in the United Kingdom, was from 1983 to 2001.
The tooling was then sold to First AutoWorks (FAW), China, where the Maestro was available to the Chinese motoring market in both hatchback and van models. A new addition to the range was the FAW Lubao CA6410 – a Maestro hatch with a Montego front end. A handful of Chinese-made parts were imported into Britain whilst these cars were in production, which itself ended in 2005.
twin carburettors could not be tuned by dealership workshops, who were used to SU carburettors. The R-Series model was replaced in July 1984 with the short-lived S-Series model which was built until October 1984 when the EFi was launched. Despite the reliability issues, more than 15,000 MG Maestro 1600s were built.
and Escort XR3i.
This model was trialled as an emergency response/area car by the Metropolitan Police
in the early 1990s. However, the Ford Sierra
2.0 litre was eventually chosen as the mainstay of the fleet for reasons of durability and economy.
Production of the MG Maestro finished in 1991, as Rover was concentrating on the new 200 and 400 models, though the standard Maestro remained in production until December 1994.
The arrival of the Rover 600
in 1993 saw the closure of the Maestro/Montego assembly line, but small-scale production in complete knock down (CKD) kit form continued until 1994, when BMW
's takeover of Rover
saw the plug finally being pulled on production almost immediately.
In 1994, Rover established Roadcar, a joint venture with a Bulgaria
n company to produce Maestros at a new factory in Varna
, using CKD kits sent from the UK. Production began in July 1995 and 2,200 cars were assembled before the factory closed in April 1996. The venture failed because of competition from other cars and the Bulgarian government's failure to honour agreements to reduce tariffs on imported parts and buy thousands of Maestros for government departments. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?awbulgariaf.htm Around 1,700 of the Rodacar-made Maestros were exported, including 550 to Uruguay
, 400 to Argentina
and 200 to the Republic of Macedonia
. http://www.maestro.org.uk/maestro/
Two British dealers, Parkway Services in Ledbury
and a company called Apple 2000 in Bury St. Edmunds
, acquired unsold Maestros from Bulgaria and sold them in the UK, converting most of them to right-hand drive. http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=41386#post41386 Please see the 'Later Developments' above for more information.
The Maestro and Montego tooling were subsequently acquired by Chinese manufacturer Etsong
, which introduced a hatchback and a van using Toyota engines. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?etsonglubaof.htm In 2003, the rights passed to First Automobile Works
, which introduced a Maestro variant with a Montego front, the Lubao CA 6410, and a van, the Jiefang CA 6440 UA. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?fawlubaof.htmhttp://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?jiefangf.htm In 2008 the Maestro Van was relaunched as the Yema SQJ6450 by Sichuan Auto Industry Group Company Ltd who had purchased the tooling from FAW.
. The fact that the company's similarly sized (but upmarket) Honda-based Rover 200 range was one of Britain's strongest sellers during this period serves to highlight the confused development and branding strategies which arguably led to the demise of the company.
A survey by Auto Express
magazine, conducted in August 2006, revealed that the Maestro was Britain's ninth most scrapped car of the previous 30 years, with just 11,574 examples still in circulation
and in working order
in the United Kingdom
.
Many Maestros were claimed by rust, corrosion and mechanical problems, although this can be applied to many British cars designed during the same period. Like most pre-1989 Austin Rover cars, 1.3 litre and 1.6 litre Maestros cannot run on unleaded petrol without the cylinder head being converted (re-machining of the cylinder head
), or the use of fuel additives. FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) tested and approved lead replacement fuel additives, work out at only a couple of pence a litre. http://fbhvc.co.uk/fuel-information/. The 1994 cc O-series engine in the MG EFi, 2.0i and Turbo has sufficiently hard exhaust valves and seats.
The rear lighting units of the van version lived on until 1998 in the Series I Land Rover Discovery
.
(which first outsold it in 1985) in the sales charts, but also behind some foreign competitors including the Volkswagen Golf
and Peugeot 309
. Sales fell lower still afterwards, as the latest Rover 200 was firmly established as the Rover Group's
best seller in this sector, and the Maestro remained on sale as a cheaper alternative until the last ones left the showrooms in the mid 1990s.
Some prototype
versions have a 1.8-litre petrol or Volkswagen
's 1.9 diesel engine; these were never used.
tobacco company Etsong acquired the tooling and intellectual property rights to the car. In 2000, the company placed it back into production in two variants; the Etsong Lubao QE6400 Ruby and Etsong Lubao QE6440 Laird, built in a brand-new, specially constructed factory in Qingdao
, China. The QE6400 used the hatchback bodyshell of the Maestro, but the frontal styling of the Montego, while the QE6440 was a panel van variant. Both cars used Toyota engines and transmissions.
In 2003, Etsong exited the car-making business and sold the Lubao factory to First Automobile Works
, one of China's biggest car-makers. FAW discontinued the QE6440 van, but as of 2007 continues to market the hatchback as the FAW Lubao CA6410.
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
(and van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
derivative) that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover
Austin Rover Group
The Austin Rover Group was a British motor manufacturer. It was formed in 1981 as the mass-market car manufacturing subsidiary of British Leyland...
subsidiary of British Leyland (BL), and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group
Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
. The car was produced at the former Morris
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
plant in Cowley
Cowley, Oxford
Cowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
, Oxford. It was initially sold as an Austin
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
and a MG
MG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
. Later models have sometimes been referred to as the Rover Maestro, but the model never wore the Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
badge.
Background
British Leyland was created in 1975 when the bankrupt British Leyland Motor CorporationBritish Leyland Motor Corporation
British Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd . It was partly nationalised in 1975 with the government creating a new holding company called British Leyland Ltd which became BL Ltd in 1978...
was nationalised. In 1977 the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born corporate troubleshooter, Sir Michael Edwardes
Sir Michael Edwardes
Sir Michael Edwardes is a South African business executive.-Biography:Edwardes matriculated from St. Andrew's College in 1947 before graduating from Rhodes University. He began his career in 1951 with the Chloride Group...
, was recruited as chairman to sort out the troubled firm. Part of Edwardes' plan was to introduce a completely new range of mass-market models to replace the current offerings, designed and built using state-of-the-art technology. The new range eventually decided upon consisted of a new vehicle for each of the small, lower-medium and upper-medium market segments.
Design and development
The new cars for the lower and upper medium segments were to share a platform, with various trim and styling differences to distinguish the two different models. This would give the cost benefits of production automation and flexibility. This common platform was given the project name LC10, using the Leyland Cars project sequence (LC8 became the Austin Mini Metro, LC9 became the Triumph AcclaimTriumph Acclaim
The Triumph Acclaim was a front-wheel drive medium-sized family car made by British Leyland from 1981 to 1984. It was based on the Honda Ballade and used a Honda-designed engine, but met United Kingdom component-content requirements...
). Preliminary design work for LC10 began in 1977.
LC10 was styled by Ian Beech under the direction of BL designer David Bache
David Bache
David Ernest Bache was a British car designer. For much of his career he worked with Rover.-Early life:Bache was born in Worcestershire, the son of Aston Villa and England footballer Joe Bache...
. Two main body variations were provided: a five-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
and a four-door notchback
Notchback
Notchback is a styling term describing a car body style, a variation of three-box styling where the third distinct volume or "box" is less pronounced — especially where the rear deck is short or where the rear window is upright...
. It was a departure from previous front-wheel drive cars from the company in that it dispensed with the famous Issigonis
Alec Issigonis
Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959.- Early life:Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna ...
transmission-in-sump powertrain that had been pioneered in the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
. Coupled to the A-Series
BMC A-Series engine
Austin Motor Company's small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. Launched in 1951 with the Austin A30, production lasted until 2000 in the Mini. It used a cast-iron block and cylinder head, and a steel crankshaft with 3 main bearings...
and R-Series powerplants was an end-on transmission (as pioneered by FIAT
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
with the Autobianchi Primula
Autobianchi Primula
The Autobianchi Primula is a small car from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi , built between 1964 and 1970. It was Fiat's first automobile with the front-wheel drive, transverse engine setup, as well as the first Fiat group car with rack and pinion steering...
), purchased from Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
. The sophisticated Hydragas suspension system used on previous BL models was sacrificed on cost grounds, with a conventional MacPherson strut
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
system at the front and a Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
style torsion beam at the rear being used instead, despite the compromise in terms of lost load space. Prototypes were even tested with actual Golf suspension components. This may have led to the Achilles heel of the early cars, which were prone to front-wheel bearing wear/failure. The Maestro was larger and heavier than the first VW Golf.
It was decided that the five-door hatchback version would be engineered first. It was given its own project designation, LM10, with this version to be launched as the Austin Maestro. The booted notchback version was to follow and it was designated as LM11, although its development was to diverge from the original path, it was later launched as the Austin Montego
Austin Montego
The Austin Montego is a British mid-size saloon car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994. The Montego was the replacement for the Morris Ital, to give British Leyland a modern competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall...
.
Novel features
The Maestro incorporated many novel and pioneering features for its class. It had a bonded laminated windscreen, homofocal headlamps, body-coloured plastic bumpers, an electronic engine management system, a five-speed gearbox on the larger engined models, adjustable front seat belt upper anchorage positions, an asymmetrically split rear seat, and a 12000 miles (19,312.1 km) service interval. The MG and Vanden PlasVanden Plas
Vanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from various subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group.-Belgium:It originated in Belgium in...
versions had solid-state instrumentation with digital speedometer and vacuum fluorescent
Vacuum fluorescent display
A vacuum fluorescent display is a display device used commonly on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens. Invented in Japan in 1967, the displays became common on calculators and other consumer electronics devices...
analogue displays for tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges, trip computer
Trip computer
A trip computer is an onboard computer device fitted to cars which can generally record distance travelled, average speed, average fuel consumption, and display real time fuel consumption information...
and a voice synthesis warning and information system.
Reception
Consumers' Association
The Consumers' Association is the umbrella organisation that houses the trading arm Which? Ltd. The Consumers' Association is a charity, registered in England and Wales No 296072. Which? Ltd is its wholly owned trading subsidiary....
, in the June edition of its Which? journal, described it as roomy, comfortable, and nice to drive, and said "If you are considering buying one now, our advice, based on our first impressions, is to go ahead". In January 1984, after testing the car, they concluded: "In comparison with opposition of a similar price and body size, the Maestro has a clear advantage on room for passengers, with few cars equalling it for comfort either in the front or back". They also considered it to be a serious rival to the higher-segment Vauxhall Cavalier
Vauxhall Cavalier
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...
and Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
, apart from its smaller boot space.
Later developments
The car was a reasonable success, but not as much as beleaguered BL had hoped. After the "boom" years of 1986 and 1987, Maestro sales went into terminal decline. An early reputation for poor build quality and unreliability did not help. The biggest problems centred around the 1.6 litre R-Series engine, which was a hurriedly modified BMC E-Series engineBMC E-Series engine
The BMC E-series engine was a straight-4 and straight-6 overhead camshaft automobile petrol engine from the British Motor Corporation . It displaced 1.5 L or 1.8 L in four-cylinder form, and 2.2 L or 2.6 L as a six-cylinder...
from the Austin Maxi
Austin Maxi
The Austin Maxi was a medium sized 5-door hatchback car from British Leyland for the 1970s. It was the first British five speed five-door hatchback.-History:...
because the under-development S-Series unit was not yet ready for production. R-Series units suffered from hot starting problems and premature crankshaft failure.
The new S-Series engine eventually appeared in July 1984, and was fitted to all existing 1.6-litre Maestros. The new S-Series engine also came fitted with electronic ignition. At the same time, some minor equipment upgrades were made across the range. The 1.3 litre base model gained head restraints, a passenger door mirror and a radio. The 1.3 litre 1.3 HLE, 1.6 litre 1.6 Automatic and 1.6 HLS all gained a radio/cassette player.
In October 1984, there were more equipment upgrades made across the range. The 1.3 base model gained reclining front seats, door bins, locking fuel filler cap and a clock. The L models gained cloth door trim, upgraded upholstery, and a remote-adjustable driver's side door mirror; the 1.6 L gained a 5-speed gearbox. The 1.3 HLE gained a 5-speed "4+E" gearbox with overdrive
Overdrive (mechanics)
Overdrive is a term used to describe a mechanism that allows an automobile to cruise at sustained speed with reduced engine RPM, leading to better fuel economy, lower noise and lower wear...
5th gear ratio, side mouldings, tweed cloth upholstery and a remotely-adjustable passengers' side door mirror. The HLS and 1.6 Automatic gained tinted glass, central locking, electric front windows, velour upholstery and an upgraded radio/cassette player. The MG Maestro gained an electronic fuel-injected 115 bhp version of the 2-litre O-Series engine, uprated suspension and ventilated front disc brakes, colour-keyed exterior trim, tinted glass, central locking and a leather-trimmed steering wheel.
Also in October 1984, the existing Maestro line-up was joined by the 1.3 HL and 1.6 HL. These models fitted between the L and HLE models.
August 1985 saw the arrival of the 1.3 City and 1.3 City X. The 1.3 City was similar to the previous 1.3 base model. The 1.3 City X added full carpeting, cloth upholstery, head restraints, a rear parcel shelf, a radio and a manually operated choke. These models also did without the plastic bumpers, having more conventional steel bumpers with plastic end caps similar to the Maestro van.
The original dashboard was of a multi-piece construction, and gained a reputation for being flimsy and prone to squeaks and rattles, so in February 1986, this was replaced with the more conventional dashboard from the Montego
Montego
-Vehicles:* Austin Montego, a car produced by Austin Rover and then the Rover Group, from 1984 to 1994. Also sold as the MG Montego and finally the Rover Montego after the rebranding of the company....
. At the same time more minor equipment upgrades were made across the range. The City X gained door bins and rear wash/wipe. The L and LE gained tweed trim. The HL and Automatic gained velour trim and additional brightwork. The Vanden Plas gained part leather trim and uprated electronic stereo system.
Following BL's sale to British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
in 1986, Austin badges were dropped in 1987 for the 1988 model year, and the range was sustained by the noisy but economical direct injection naturally aspirated Perkins diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
unit launched the previous year. Unfortunately, without a turbo this model was rather slow.
Following the launch of the new Rover 200 in October 1989, production of the Maestro was pruned back to mostly the entry-level models (with the MG variants being axed during 1991). Production had peaked at more than 101,000 units in 1983, and as late as 1989 nearly 60,000 were made. However, that figure fell to 38,762 in 1990, more than halving the following year to 18,450.
In 1992 the 81 bhp high revving Rover MDi / Perkins Prima turbo diesel unit from the Montego was launched, in the now reduced Maestro range (after the launch of the Rover 200/400), as a Clubman or DLX. The turbo improved refinement, as well as performance, at no cost to fuel economy. It was very competitively priced, it was about the same price as the Rover Metro
Rover Metro
The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....
and Peugeot 205
Peugeot 205
The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1998. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990. The 205 won 1984 What Car? car of the year.-History:...
non-turbo diesel supermini
Supermini
A superminicomputer, or supermini, is “a minicomputer with high performance compared to ordinary minicomputers.” The term was an invention used from the mid-1970s mainly to distinguish the emerging 32-bit minis from the classical 16-bit minicomputers...
s that were a size smaller. The only other engine option was the elderly 1.3 A-series.
In 1993, What Car?
What Car?
What Car? is a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Fowler and published by Haymarket Motoring. First published in 1973, it is intended primarily as a magazine for consumers rather than dedicated automobile enthusiasts...
buyers' guide section said: "Yes, its old, but nowadays it's also very cheap. Popularity of noisy but economical and surprisingly rapid turbodiesel is what keeps this roomy car going."
Also in 1993, The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
road tested the Turbo Diesel. Their verdict: "You're hardly likely to buy a Maestro diesel to improve your street cred! For turning heads, the 218/418
Rover 400
The second generation 400 Series, codenamed Theta or HH-R, was launched in the summer of 1995 as a hatchback and later a saloon. This time it was based on the Honda Domani, which had been released in Japan in 1992, and was sold as part of the European Honda Civic range in five-door hatchback form...
diesel is a much better proposition. However, disinterested passengers love the back seat, while the driver can relish the model's marked reluctance to visit filling stations. Here's a hatchback for buyers who are really serious about the substance rather than the image – and with a price tag that's thousands of pounds lower than most of its rivals (shown in our comparison chart), you start saving even before your first forecourt stop. Unless you're averse to gearchanging, this unpretentious Maestro turbo-diesel, at its competitive price, can't seriously be faulted."
In 1993, however, production fell to just over 7,000 units and in its final year, 1994, just over 4,000 were produced, the last one rolling off the production line in December. The chassis development for the Maestro and Montego's rear suspension was used as a basis for later Rover cars, and was well regarded.
In September 1995, production was transferred to Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Bulgaria, in complete knock down (CKD) kit form. Around 2,000 vehicles were produced before the company (Rodacar AD) ceased production in April 1996 due to high import costs of the components and little demand for the cars. The majority of the Maestros produced were exported to other countries, including the UK. A small number of these were sold by Apple 2000 Ltd. of Bury St. Edmunds, and registered on an "N" prefix.
In 1997, Parkway Services of Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
, Herefordshire, purchased a batch of 621 Maestro cars and vans in CKD kit form. These had been stored at Cowley, Oxfordshire, since their production in mid-1996, when they became surplus to requirements. The company built up the cars and converted the majority of them to RHD form using up Rover's supply of parts. The National Database for Motoring Insurance has records of models registered between "R" and "51" number plates, meaning the overall period of Maestro availability, new in the United Kingdom, was from 1983 to 2001.
The tooling was then sold to First AutoWorks (FAW), China, where the Maestro was available to the Chinese motoring market in both hatchback and van models. A new addition to the range was the FAW Lubao CA6410 – a Maestro hatch with a Montego front end. A handful of Chinese-made parts were imported into Britain whilst these cars were in production, which itself ended in 2005.
MG Maestro 1600 (1983–1984)
Rushed into production against engineers' advice at the launch in early 1983, the original MG Maestro was under-developed. Its 1.6 litre R-Series engine ran roughly, was difficult to start when warm, and its WeberWeber
Weber is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning "weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.Notable people with the surname include:...
twin carburettors could not be tuned by dealership workshops, who were used to SU carburettors. The R-Series model was replaced in July 1984 with the short-lived S-Series model which was built until October 1984 when the EFi was launched. Despite the reliability issues, more than 15,000 MG Maestro 1600s were built.
MG Maestro 2.0 EFi (1984–1991)
After a brief interval, the MG Maestro was relaunched with a fuel injected 2.0 litre engine that gave considerably better performance than its predecessor. Handling and performance were good, and gave Austin Rover its first serious rival for the Golf GTIVolkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
and Escort XR3i.
This model was trialled as an emergency response/area car by the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
in the early 1990s. However, the Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
2.0 litre was eventually chosen as the mainstay of the fleet for reasons of durability and economy.
MG Maestro Turbo (1989–1991)
With the Rover Group only a few months away, the limited edition (500 + 5 press cars) MG Maestro Turbo (launched in early 1989) was the final car from ARG. It made use of the 2.0's already impressive engine, but the combination of carburettor and turbocharger gave it a top speed of almost 130 mi/h and an 0–60 mph time of 6.7 seconds. It was faster than the majority of its competitors, but the high performance, Tickford designed bodykit and alloys did little to disguise the fact that it was very much still a Maestro. Sales were slow, as it appeared six years after the Maestro's launch.Production of the MG Maestro finished in 1991, as Rover was concentrating on the new 200 and 400 models, though the standard Maestro remained in production until December 1994.
Decline and "rebirth"
Production of the Maestro, which was already suffering from a decline in sales, was pruned back by autumn 1989 on the launch of the second generation Rover 200, which was aimed at the higher end of the small family car market, with the Maestro being kept on sale as a cheaper alternative with more basic versions available.The arrival of the Rover 600
Rover 600
The Rover 600 Series is a compact executive car produced by the British car maker Rover from 1993 to 1999.The Rover 600 exterior was designed by Rover, a re-skin of the Tochigi-developed Honda Accord, also built in the UK by Honda in Swindon...
in 1993 saw the closure of the Maestro/Montego assembly line, but small-scale production in complete knock down (CKD) kit form continued until 1994, when BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
's takeover of Rover
Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
saw the plug finally being pulled on production almost immediately.
In 1994, Rover established Roadcar, a joint venture with a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n company to produce Maestros at a new factory in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, using CKD kits sent from the UK. Production began in July 1995 and 2,200 cars were assembled before the factory closed in April 1996. The venture failed because of competition from other cars and the Bulgarian government's failure to honour agreements to reduce tariffs on imported parts and buy thousands of Maestros for government departments. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?awbulgariaf.htm Around 1,700 of the Rodacar-made Maestros were exported, including 550 to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, 400 to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and 200 to the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. http://www.maestro.org.uk/maestro/
Two British dealers, Parkway Services in Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
and a company called Apple 2000 in Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds is a market town in the county of Suffolk, England, and formerly the county town of West Suffolk. It is the main town in the borough of St Edmundsbury and known for the ruined abbey near the town centre...
, acquired unsold Maestros from Bulgaria and sold them in the UK, converting most of them to right-hand drive. http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=41386#post41386 Please see the 'Later Developments' above for more information.
The Maestro and Montego tooling were subsequently acquired by Chinese manufacturer Etsong
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile is a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation of China and Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co., Ltd...
, which introduced a hatchback and a van using Toyota engines. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?etsonglubaof.htm In 2003, the rights passed to First Automobile Works
First Automobile Works
FAW Group Corporation is a state-owned enterprise with publicly traded subsidiaries: FAW Car Company , Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co Ltd , Changchun FAWAY Automobile Components Co Ltd ....
, which introduced a Maestro variant with a Montego front, the Lubao CA 6410, and a van, the Jiefang CA 6440 UA. http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?fawlubaof.htmhttp://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?jiefangf.htm In 2008 the Maestro Van was relaunched as the Yema SQJ6450 by Sichuan Auto Industry Group Company Ltd who had purchased the tooling from FAW.
Reputation
The Maestro sold over 600,000 units thanks to a spacious, practical interior, competitive asking prices, low running costs and good ride and handling, although it failed to match the success of the Ford Escort and Vauxhall AstraVauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...
. The fact that the company's similarly sized (but upmarket) Honda-based Rover 200 range was one of Britain's strongest sellers during this period serves to highlight the confused development and branding strategies which arguably led to the demise of the company.
A survey by Auto Express
Auto Express
Auto Express is a weekly motoring magazine sold in the United Kingdom published by Dennis Publishing. The Editor-in-Chief is Steve Fowler.Launched in September 1988, its 1000th issue was published on 20 February 2008. It's only weekly competitor in Britain is the long established Autocar...
magazine, conducted in August 2006, revealed that the Maestro was Britain's ninth most scrapped car of the previous 30 years, with just 11,574 examples still in circulation
Circulation
Circulation may refer to:*Circulatory system, a biological organ system whose primary function is to move substances to and from cells*Circulation , the path integral of the fluid velocity around a closed curve...
and in working order
Mot
In Ugaritic Mot 'Death' is personified as a god of death. The word is cognate with forms meaning 'death' in other Semitic and Afro-Asiatic languages: with Arabic موت mawt; with Hebrew מות ; with Maltese mewt; with Syriac mautā; with Ge'ez mot; with Canaanite, Egyptian Aramaic, Nabataean, and...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Many Maestros were claimed by rust, corrosion and mechanical problems, although this can be applied to many British cars designed during the same period. Like most pre-1989 Austin Rover cars, 1.3 litre and 1.6 litre Maestros cannot run on unleaded petrol without the cylinder head being converted (re-machining of the cylinder head
Cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket...
), or the use of fuel additives. FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) tested and approved lead replacement fuel additives, work out at only a couple of pence a litre. http://fbhvc.co.uk/fuel-information/. The 1994 cc O-series engine in the MG EFi, 2.0i and Turbo has sufficiently hard exhaust valves and seats.
The rear lighting units of the van version lived on until 1998 in the Series I Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
.
Popularity
Despite only going on sale in early March 1983, the Maestro was Britain's sixth best selling car in 1983 with more than 65,000 sales. Its first full year on sale, 1984, brought more than 83,000 sales - which would be the Maestro's best year for sales in any country. As had happened the previous year, it was Britain's best selling car in 1984. However, it had fallen to 10th in 1985; although Austin Rover managed to keep up a strong presence in this sector due to the arrival of the similar sized Rover 200 saloon in August 1984. By 1988, it was merely the 14th best selling car in Britain, dipping further to 19th place in 1989, the year that the second generation Rover 200 was launched. The Maestro was now not only behind the all conquering Ford Escort and Vauxhall AstraVauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...
(which first outsold it in 1985) in the sales charts, but also behind some foreign competitors including the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
and Peugeot 309
Peugeot 309
The Peugeot 309 was a small family car manufactured between 1985 and 1993 in England and France.The 309 was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot and, as development progressed, to be called the Talbot Arizona...
. Sales fell lower still afterwards, as the latest Rover 200 was firmly established as the Rover Group's
Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
best seller in this sector, and the Maestro remained on sale as a cheaper alternative until the last ones left the showrooms in the mid 1990s.
Models
Engines
- 1983–1993–1275 cc A-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 68 hp (51 kW) at 5800 rpm and 75 ft·lbf (102 Nm) at 3500 rpm - 1983–1985–1275 cc A-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 64 hp (48 kW) at 5500 rpm and 73 ft·lbf (99 Nm) at 3500 rpm HLE - 1983 – July 1984–1598 cc R-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 81 hp at 5500 rpm and 91 lbft at 3500 rpm - 1983 – July 1984–1598 cc R-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 103 hp at 6000 rpm and 100 lbft at 4000 rpm MG - 1984–1993–1598 cc S-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 85 hp at 5600 rpm and 97 lbft at 3500 rpm - July 1984 – October 1984–1598 cc S-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 103 hp at 6000 rpm MG - 1984–1992–1994 cc O-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 115 hp MG EFi and 2.0i - 1988–1990–1994 cc O-Series I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 152 hp MG Turbo - 1990–1992–1994 cc Austin/Rover MDi – Perkins Prima NA I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 62 hp - 1992–1994–1994 cc Austin/Rover MDi – Perkins Prima TD I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 81 hp at 4500 rpm and 116 lbft at 2500 rpm
Some prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
versions have a 1.8-litre petrol or Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
's 1.9 diesel engine; these were never used.
Trim levels
The Maestro was available in the following trim levels:- Base (1983–1985)
- L (1983–1990)
- LE (1986–1988)
- HL (1984–1987)
- HLE (1983–85)
- HLS (1983–1986)
- LX (1990–1993)
- City (1985–1988)
- City X (1985–1988)
- Special (1988–1990)
- Clubman (1990–1994)
- SL (1988–1990)
- Mayfair (1986–1988)
- Vanden Plas (1983–1988)
Chinese production
In 1998, four years after production of the Maestro ended in the UK, the ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
tobacco company Etsong acquired the tooling and intellectual property rights to the car. In 2000, the company placed it back into production in two variants; the Etsong Lubao QE6400 Ruby and Etsong Lubao QE6440 Laird, built in a brand-new, specially constructed factory in Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, China. The QE6400 used the hatchback bodyshell of the Maestro, but the frontal styling of the Montego, while the QE6440 was a panel van variant. Both cars used Toyota engines and transmissions.
In 2003, Etsong exited the car-making business and sold the Lubao factory to First Automobile Works
First Automobile Works
FAW Group Corporation is a state-owned enterprise with publicly traded subsidiaries: FAW Car Company , Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co Ltd , Changchun FAWAY Automobile Components Co Ltd ....
, one of China's biggest car-makers. FAW discontinued the QE6440 van, but as of 2007 continues to market the hatchback as the FAW Lubao CA6410.