Marina production lasted almost ten years, and in that time no fewer than 807,000 were sold across Britain, though it was less popular on export markets. By the time production of the facelifted Ital version ceased production in 1984, total Marina/Ital production had topped 1.2 million, making it BL's second biggest seller after the Mini. In fact, of all the post Ryder Report models that BL and its successors produced, only the Austin Metro would surpass the Marina's sales. Whilst intended as a stop-gap design until a more up-to-date replacement could be developed, the problems faced by British Leyland in the mid-to-late 1970s meant that the Marina remained in production essentially unchanged, other than some light face-lift and interior changes. Coupled with the continuing quality problems suffered by the car and the increasingly poor perception of BL cars as a whole, this sealed the Marina's reputation, despite its high sales. Even when Marina production ended in 1980, a modified version of it survived until 1984 as the Ital. British Leyland had been working on an all-new replacement for the Marina by 1980, but it was too early in the development stages to enter production, with production not beginning until early 1984, when the new car, called the Austin Montego, was launched.