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 4,000 Rover, MG and Mini cars a
week, while 1,000 Rover 75s a week are being made at the plant in
Cowley in Oxford.