MG opening its X-file

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

This is the MG X10, one of three sports saloons MG Rover plans to launch next year in a bid to reinvent itself.

The MG X10, based on the Rover 75 platform and powered by a front-drive 2.5-litre V6, will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March and launched in Britain in June.

It will be followed by specially built MG-badged versions of the small Rover 25 and mid-range 45 and a hotter MGF.

The X10 was penned by McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens, who placed the MG badge above the meshed grille. The car is lower front and rear than the Rover 75, and the suspension has been firmed to provide better body control in corners.

MG Rover is also planning a high-performance, rear-wheel-drive variant of the X10, to be badged the Lola after the racing-car builder.

MG Rover and Lola will enter the Le Mans 24-hour race next year with a development of Lola's SR2 sportscar. Rover last raced at Le Mans in 1965.

MG Rover has invested more than $340 million in the development of new products since the company was formed last May, after BMW off-loaded Rover and Land-Rover.

More than 500 engineers at the Longbridge plant in Britain are working on the MG models.

The company's chief executive, Kevin Howe, said: "2001 will be the year when the MG brand re-establishes itself as a leading global car brand with a range of cars from the MGF roadster to the MG X10. MGs will be fun, accessible, have superb dynamics and appeal to a growing customer group."