Sales Boost For Rover As Loyalty Shows

BY ANTONY HOPKER

Beleagured Rover has received a boost with news that it has achieved its best April sales figures for 10 years. The company, which faces sale or closure by owners BMW, sold nearly 20,000 cars last month.

It market share leapt to more than 11 per cent – the highest figure since December 1996. The Rover 25, with almost 10,000 sales, was the best selling car in the country, and the Rover 75 is also dominating its sector.

In the current year, Rover sales are up by 20 per cent compared to last year. A new series of offers were introduced to reassure customers about buying the cars despite uncertainty over the company’s future.

These deals include a three-year warrranty, and three years’ servicing, as well as cashback offers. The approach will be continued across May to try and revive the company’s fortunes/

John Parkinson, managing director of Rover UK, said: “In April we introduced strong offers to assure our customers during this period of ownership uncertainty. The response has been phenomenal and we are grateful for the support and loyalty expressed, in convincing fashion, by the British public to Rover.

“The exceptional April result, combined with a return to factory production after the Easter break, means normal operational stock and supply levels are in place going forward.”

The troubled Longbridge plant is producing 4000 Rover, MG and Mini cars a week, while 1,000 Rover 75s a week are being made at the plant in Cowley in Oxford.