CONFUSION reigns among contact hire firms, daily rental companies and residual value experts on the future viability of running Rover cars - and in particular their resale value. Interleasing, which until the latest crisis bought about 1,000 Rovers a year so the brand made up 8% of a total fleet of nearly 80,000 vehicles, has now stopped buying Rover.

HSBC Finance and JCT600 Contracts have also expressed grave concerns about residual values with fears that they could drop by as much as 15% as a result of the BMW debacle. However, RV experts CAP Motor Research and Glass's Information Services as well as Alphabet, BMW's multimarque leasing division incorporating Rover Corporate Finance, are optimistic that values will hold out.