RENAULT F1 driver Jenson Button has unveiled the new Mgane II at the 2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Mr Button, from Frome, is a driver with the British Renault F1 team.

He was joined at the Mgane's international debut by Renault UK managing director Philippe Talou-Derible.

Together they pulled the covers from the Sport Hatch and the Hatch three and five-door models on the Renault stand, revealing the latest design in the lower-medium car market.

Mr Button said: "It's always good to get an early preview of my next company car if I decide I need something sporty but more practical than my two-seater Clio three-litre V6."

Mr Talou-Derible said: "What better place to unveil the new Mgane than at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where people clamour to see sporting models up close. I'm delighted that Renault chose to preview the car in the UK prior to the Paris Motorshow in September.

"Renault recognised that not all customers in the lower-medium market want to drive a car that has been influenced by mini-MPV styling, which is why I believe the new Mgane will be a big success for us thanks to its sporty nature and dramatic styling."

The first two models will go on sale in the UK in October, with seven models planned for the market by 2004.

Built on the new C platform, developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which will account for 25 per cent of all Alliance production, or 1.8 million vehicles by 2006, Mgane II constitutes a major commercial, financial and industrial challenge, underpinning Renault's profitable growth strategy.

In Europe, Renault has set its sights on capturing 14 per cent of the C segment, challenging for the title of Europe's best-selling car.

Front and rear suspension systems have been changed for the latest models and the manufacturers claim this makes for superior roadholding and braking ability.

As well as ABS, emergency brake assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system, Mgane II is the first model to use a new-generation electronic stability programme (ESP) incorporating understeer control.

The xenon headlamp units feature an adaptive beam height control.

The Mgane II will be offered with a range of petrol and diesel engines with petrol versions coming in 1.4, 1.6 and 2.1 versions and the diesel in 1.5 and 1.9 turbodiesel units.

This is the first Renault programme to take into account life-cycle environmental management, which in addition to work on the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions also sets out to optimise the recyclability of end-of-life vehicles.

Mgane II was developed in just 29 months Renault's best-ever development time through a new managerial approach.