Rover's new luxury car is a key component in the long-term survival of the company, according to a new TV documentary.

BBC2's First Sight, being shown tomorrow at 7.30pm, claims the success of the Rover 75, built at Cowley, is an essential element in raising the prestige of the Rover brand, acting as a flagship for a new range of cars that will turn the company into a moneyspinner for parent company BMW. On the eve of this year's London Motor Show at Earls Court, which sees the launch of the new Rover 25 and 45, the programme reports on a dramatic year for Rover. It started with the arrival of Prof Werner SM- mann as new chairman and chief executive, the departure this month of managing director Jim Macdonald and the entrance of the Countess of Wessex to help sell the 75.

Rover's marketing director John Sanders, the man behind Renault's 'Nicole and Papa' campaign, had the task of creating a sense of direction for the new car. He said: "It's the first of a generation of new products. It's in the executive market, so you're not talking about generating hundreds of thousands of sales.

"This is more about image than it is about actual sales."

Story date: Wednesday 13 October

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