LAND Rover is still on course to make significant progress in the business car market despite the upheavals of BMW's controversial Rover Group disposal. The company followed up record sales in the sector last year with further big gains in the first quarter, corporate sales manager Vince Floyd told Fleet NewsNet.

'Total UK sales of 13,938 vehicles so far this year prove the impending change in ownership is clearly having little effect on customers, and we're just as confident about what lies ahead as part of the Ford Premier Automotive Group as we were under BMW,' said Floyd at Fleet Show 2000.

Plans to introduce a V6 engine, automatic transmission option to the three-car Freelander range in autumn are understood to be unaffected by the change in ownership of the Solihull company, which produced 178,000 vehicles last year, with Rover continuing to supply the 2.5-litre KV6 engine and Steptronic gearbox.