MG Rover yesterday took the wraps off a car that will influence the design of the company's future models.

The TCV Concept, shown in tourer form at the Geneva Motor Show, is the brainchild of former Formula 1 designer Peter Stevens and is aimed at providing Rover with a flexible and versatile basis for future models. "It is a modern, robust design. It is not a medium car or large car replacement. What we are doing is showing the design direction for the Rover brand," said a spokesman.

Since MG Rover was bought out from BMW industry critics have questioned how the company would be able to put together a new model line without outside help.

Though Rover has just launched the successor to the MGF sports car, it has yet to unveil its strategy for the Rover 45, the next in line for replacement. "The business plan assumption is that [the medium car replacement] will be done on our own. However, we have been talking to China Brilliance Holdings and talks are progressing very positively," said a spokesman.

Germany's Porsche also produced the first pictures of its sports utility vehicle, the Cayenne, due on the market this year. This is a departure from Porsche's tradition of small, sleek sports cars though the new model, aimed at drivers who need a family vehicle, will still do zero to 100kph in 5.6 seconds.

Ford, the world's second biggest automotive manufacturer, provided a reminder of the difficulties facing the industry globally when chairman and chief executive William Clay Ford said that while the company's restructuring plan, involving the loss of 35,000 jobs, was on track, Ford was prepared to take further action if necessary.