Roewe Roewe RX5: range, price, specs and where it is sold
Facts checked
The RX5 is Roewe's C-segment SUV and one of the most important cars SAIC has built for its own domestic brand: unveiled on 9 June 2016 and delivered from that August at prices starting around CNY 148,800, it was marketed as an 'internet car' built around a jointly developed Alibaba operating system. A second-generation RX5 Max followed in 2019 and a third generation in 2022, the last of which is 4,655 mm long on a 2,765 mm wheelbase.
The RX5 matters outside China because of what shares its engineering. The first-generation car underpinned the first MG HS, and the third-generation RX5 underpins the second-generation HS launched in 2024 — so a British or Australian MG HS buyer is buying a close relative of a Roewe. Some markets, including Mexico, the Philippines and Iran, sell the car itself with MG badges as the MG RX5.
Roewe's own site currently lists the RX5 PLUS from CNY 104,900 with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine making 133 kW and 285 Nm through a seven-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox. Plug-in hybrid versions have been offered through the line's life, the third-generation eMax using a 12.3 kWh pack for about 70 km of electric running on the manufacturer's own figure. Assembly is at SAIC's Pukou plant in Nanjing, with Iranian assembly at Semnan by Farda Motors from 2018.
Key facts
| Name in Chinese | 荣威RX5 “RONG-way R-X-five” 荣 'glory' plus 威 'prestige, authority'; Roewe is a coined Latin name SAIC created in 2006 after it failed to acquire the Rover trademark |
|---|---|
| Brand | Roewe |
| Body | SUV, segment C |
| Powertrain | Offered with more than one powertrain |
| Launched | China 2016 |
| Headline output | 133 kW |
| Battery | 12.3 kWh |
What it is called where
The same car carries different names in different markets. This is the crosswalk, so a reader who knows one name can find the other.
| Market | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| China | Roewe RX5 (荣威RX5) | currently listed as the RX5 PLUS on Roewe's own site |
| Export markets | MG RX5 | |
| Mexico | MG RX5 | |
| Philippines | MG RX5 | |
| Iran | MG RX5 | assembled at Semnan by Farda Motors from 2018 |
Range
| Range | Cycle | Variant |
|---|---|---|
| 70 km (manufacturer figure, cycle not stated) | manufacturer figure, cycle not stated | RX5 eMax plug-in hybrid, 12.3 kWh |
Price
| Where | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| China | CNY 104,900 as of | Roewe RX5 PLUS, listed from CNY 10.49万 on Roewe's own site |
A Chinese sticker price is not what the same car costs abroad: tariffs, specification and local taxes all differ. The price translator converts it at a stored rate and says so.
Where the Roewe RX5 is sold
| Market | Status | Since | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Sold | August 2016 | |
| Mexico | Sold | sold as the MG RX5; launch date not verified | |
| Philippines | Sold | sold as the MG RX5 | |
| Iran | Sold | 2018 | assembled at Semnan by Farda Motors |
| United Kingdom | Never sold | Roewe is a China-only brand and the RX5 is not sold in Britain; the closely related export model is the MG HS | |
| Australia | Never sold | ||
| United States | Never sold | SAIC does not sell cars in the United States |
Crash-test results
No NCAP result is recorded for the Roewe RX5. That means no published result was found on a testing body's own site — not that the car was tested and failed, and not that it was never tested.
Roewe Roewe RX5: questions people ask
- Is the Roewe RX5 the same as the MG HS?
- They are close relatives, not the same car. The first-generation RX5 shared engineering with the first MG HS, and the third-generation RX5 underpins the second-generation HS launched in 2024. Some markets also sell the RX5 itself badged MG RX5.
- What does Roewe mean?
- 荣威 (Róngwēi, 'RONG-way') combines 荣 'glory' and 威 'prestige'. Roewe is a coined Latin name SAIC adopted in 2006 after it was unable to acquire the Rover trademark.
- Where is the Roewe RX5 built?
- At SAIC's Pukou plant in Nanjing, with assembly at Semnan in Iran by Farda Motors from 2018.
- Can you buy a Roewe outside China?
- Not under the Roewe badge in Britain, Europe or Australia — Roewe is a domestic brand. Where the RX5 is exported it wears MG badges, as in Mexico, the Philippines and Iran.
Related
Sources for the Roewe Roewe RX5
- Roewe (SAIC Motor), Roewe RX5 PLUS. Read . from CNY 10.49万, 1.5T making 133 kW and 285 Nm with a seven-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox
- Roewe (SAIC Motor), Roewe model range and prices. Read . current Chinese line-up and RX5 PLUS listing price
- Wikipedia, Roewe RX5. Read . generations, Pukou and Semnan assembly, engines, eRX5 plug-in battery and range, 2016 launch price, MG RX5 export markets
- Wikipedia, MG HS. Read . the second-generation HS is based on the third-generation Roewe RX5