LC8 would replace the more upmarket, lower-volume Clubman versions of the Mini and the lower-spec, smaller-engined variants of the Austin Allegro (which would be fully replaced in the early 1980s by project LC10, which became Austin Maestro). The revised project was given the new designator LC8 ( Leyland Cars Number 8), and the definitive Metro design would ultimately emerge under the leadership of BL's chief stylists David Bache and Harris Mann. In late 1977, ADO88 was given an eleventh hour redesign, to make it both larger and less utilitarian in appearance and more upmarket in nature, becoming BL's first supermini, rather than an economy car. However, poor reception to the ADO88 design at customer clinics and the increasing dominance of superminis in the ADO88's intended market segment, forced a major change in the project's focus. The roots of the Metro lay in an earlier project denoted as ADO88 ( Amalgamated Drawing Office, 88-inch wheelbase), which was intended to be a direct replacement for the Mini.
On 8 October 1980, BL introduced the Austin Mini Metro. These cars gained a decent sized market share in Britain and most other European markets. The modern supermini market had evolved during the 1970s, with earlier mini-cars like the Mini and Hillman Imp being followed by mostly larger cars with the "hatchback" bodystyle – beginning with the Fiat 127 in 1971 and Renault 5 in 1972, with the next five years seeing the arrival of similar cars including the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, as well as the Vauxhall Chevette from General Motors (also built in West Germany as the Opel Kadett) which was also available as a saloon and estate as well as a hatchback. Plans for a replacement for the Mini had been afoot within BL since the early 1970s, but none of the concepts conceived got beyond the initial design stages, largely due to a shortage of funds at British Leyland, and its eventual bankruptcy and government bail-out in 1975. 2,078,218 Metros of all types were built. The Rover 100 finally ceased production in 1998, being outlived (by three years) by the original Mini that it was meant to replace. From 1990 until its withdrawal in 1998, the Metro was sold only as a Rover.Īlthough the R3 generation Rover 200 (introduced in 1995 and smaller than previous 200 models) had originally been designed as a replacement for the Metro, it was not marketed as such after its launch. During 1987, the car lost the Austin name, and was sold simply as the Metro. Īt the time of its launch, the Metro was sold under the Austin brand. There were also van versions known as the Morris Metro and later, Metrovan.
#Chrome mini metro series
It was rebadged as the Rover 100 series in December 1994. ĭuring its 18-year lifespan, the Metro wore many names: Austin Metro, MG Metro and Rover Metro. The Metro was named by What Car? magazine as 'Car of The Year' in 1983 as an MG, and again as the Rover Metro in 1991. It was intended to complement and eventually replace the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin mini Metro. The Metro is a supermini car, later a city car that was produced by British Leyland (BL) and, later, the Rover Group from 1980 to 1998.
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