The Rover 400 1995-99

This is one of three articles about the Rover 400/45 model.

The 400 HHR model was a new model based on the Honda Domani, which was apparently sold in Europe as part of the Honda Civic range as a hatchback and estate (wagon). The new 400 model was to be separate from the 200 range. Rover wanted to have more input into the car as it had with the R8, but Honda had different ideas and the Domani was offered pretty much as it was. All I can say is that Rover had better designers when it came to aesthetics than Honda did. Rover did eventually get some input into the 4 door model and was the better for that. It seems Rover wanted a bigger car but had to take what Honda offered. Rover in fact pitched the HHR at a class larger than it was, but the strategy fooled no one.

Being a model range in its own right, the 400 was produced in larger numbers as a Rover, but without the Honda Concerto variant any more. The production figures below testify to the solid sales of the new range. The 1999 figure does include some production form the 45 model that replaced it.

Year	Prod
1995	68,500
1996	108,900
1997	144,000
1998	145,000
1999	91,400
Total	557,800
Avg	111,600

As for sales by countries, some are listed below:

Year	UK	Italy	France	Germ	Neder
1995	47,350	?	2,450	?	800
1996	63,850	15,600	7,100	?	1,500
1997	61,900	17,100	7,650	?	1,650
1998	57,300	10,200	8,300	7,900	2,500
1999	33,350	6,000	5,800	6,150	1,650
Total	263,750	48,875	31,300	14,050	8,100
Avg	52,750	12,225	6,250	7,025	1,620

This was not the model it should have been. Rover needed something larger, especially the Hatch version, but the company was tied to what Honda offered. Overall quite successful.
To read about the 1990-94 period please click here
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