As soon as British Leyland was launched in 1968, there were problems on the sales front. The technically advanced ADO-16 models (the Austin 1100 and its derivatives) sold quite well to private buyers. However, the simpler Ford Cortina dominated the lucrative company fleets. At the time, BLMC had no model of its own to compete with the Ford. Under time pressure, a suitable car had to be developed quickly - the Morris Marina.