The MG Rover Group took the "Outstanding Achievement" prize at this year's Autocar Awards.

And the designer of the head-turning MG XPower supercar, Peter Stevens, took the Designer of the Year prize. His other design achievements include the Le Mans MGs and imposing a corporate design imprint on MG's saloon cars.

In giving the achievement award to the carmaker, judges cited MG Rover's joint venture endeavours, its creativity in terms of the number of new model launches, and its progress in turning around the company's fortunes.

MG Group chief executive Kevin Howe says:"It demonstrates the talent of our British company amongst some formidable automotive industry giants and our ability to make an impression has been recognised."

Welcoming his top designer accolade, Peter Stevens says: "I'm delighted to receive the award on behalf of my whole design team. I feel that we all have a clear understanding of our design direction for the future."