The man behind the development of the new face of MG Rover - the X10, X20 and X30 - revealed that the company used stealth in its dealings with former owner BMW to bring the cars to the public.

Rob Oldaker, product development director, told around 200 journalist and film crews at the Longbridge unveiling of the new sportier side of the MG Rover brand that some of the research into the cars was done "below Munich radar".

"No matter how it was done we hit the ground running," he said on the moment Rover was released from BMW ownership last year.

MG Rover, Mr Oldaker said, was still finalising model names and specifications, but he was able to confirm that the three ranges based on the existing MG Rover 25, 45 and 75 would be priced from "around £10,000" for the smaller X30 to more than £30,000 for the top of the range X10 inspired by the touring car MG Rover plans to introduce to motorsport.

There will be three spec levels in each range, Entry, Core and Ultimate.

The X10
Entry models will feature a 2.5 V6 190PS or 160PS engine, the Core a 260PS V8 and the Ultimate a V8 producing more than 375PS.
Fitted with unique multi-spoke 18-inch alloys with lowered suspension and ABS.
Rear deck spoiler with a deep front 'air-dam'.
Body-coloured MG radiator grille, stone-guard mesh and black cappings around the glass areas.
Sports exhaust tailpipes, housed in a heat shield.
Specially developed front seats.
New interior, sports steering wheel and sports gearshift for the Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox.

The X20
Available in 4-door saloon and 5-door hatch versions.
Entry level available with 1.6 or 1.8 petrol engines or new 2.0-litre turbo diesel.
Core level has a 2.5 V6 177PS manual engine.
17-inch wheels,up-rated suspension, brakes and steering.
Body-coloured MG grille, bright mesh air intakes and black or body colour features.
Front and rear spoilers, side skirts, sports exhaust tailpipes in heatshield.
The interior has a similar treatment to the X10, with sports front seats, steering wheel, instrumentation and gearshift.

The X30
Available in three and five door formats powered by a 1.4 and 1.8 engines or the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.
Uprated chassis, including 17-inch wheels and improved braking and steering systems.
New front and rear spoilers.
Body-coloured MG grille and bright mesh intakes and sports exhaust tailpipes.
Sports front seats, plus MG interior sytle cues.

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