ROVER Group's return to the volume commercial vehicle market will be marked with the world debut of the Land Rover Freelander Van at the 1999 Fleet Show at the NEC, Birmingham, from April 27-29. While prices and specification have yet to be decided the new van will go on sale in the summer.

The company says the Freelander's design presents an ideal opportunity for Rover to re-enter the commercial vehicle sector on a big scale - sales are expected to be significantly higher than van variants of the more specialist Discovery and Defender. A spokesman said: 'The Fleet Show is the ideal launchpad for a vehicle such as this, which will become a valuable tool for many fleets around the country.' Rover Group withdrew from the mass production van market in the early 1990s with Metro and Maestro vans.

A total of 120 exhibitors have so far booked stands at the show, which is already in excess of 1,000 square metres more than the 1997 show and is approaching the 15,500 square metres of last year's show - the largest in the event's 17-year history.

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