ROVER'S new luxury sector car, which will replace both 600 and 800 series models, will go on sale in the UK next spring following its world debut at the Birmingham International Motor Show in October. The new car, codenamed R40, will be the first to be fully engineered during Rover's ownership by BMW.

Simultaneously the company announced that the build programme for the car would see a £400 million investment at its Cowley factory in Oxford. The programme will see £250 million invested at the plant and a further £150 million invested in supplier tooling, along with significant investment by the suppliers. Rover Group will create 1,000 new jobs and up to a further 5,000 will be created in the component supply industry.

The new car will be built on new manufacturing facilities at the factory. They include a new paint plant, a new body-in-white facility with 160 robot stations, a new vehicle assembly hall and a vehicle validation centre. Rover Group chairman and chief executive Walter Hasselkus said: 'This new vehicle is a key element of the BMW Group product strategy and will make a significant contribution to the continued success of the company.'