Global sales record for Jaguar Land Rover as it smashes 600,000 for the first time
Vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has announced record global sales figures as demand for its products continues to grow around the world.
The company, the UK’s largest manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles, said it had achieved retail sales of 604,009 vehicles (including sales from its Chinese joint venture) in the financial year ended March 2017.
The figure is up 16% on the previous year and means the company has exceeded 600,000 for the first time in its history.
To put this into perspective – and in an illustration of the company’s strong growth – just five years ago the Indian-owned business was celebrating global sales of 314,433 vehicles, which of itself, was a 29% increase on the previous year.
Retail sales for the fourth quarter of the latest financial year were 179,509 vehicles, up 13% on the same quarter a year ago, and March sales reached 90,838 units, up 21% on March 2016.
Retail sales for the full financial year were up year-on-year in China (32%), North America (24%), the UK (16%) and Europe (13%), although sales in other Overseas markets were down 6%.
In March alone, retail sales were up in Europe (21%), North America (21%), China (21%) and Overseas markets (6%) compared to March 2016. In the UK, March sales were up 26.5% to a record 31,778 vehicles.
Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover Group Sales Operations Director, said: “These numbers set the seal on Jaguar Land Rover’s seventh successive year of sales growth, by breaking through the 600,000 barrier. We continue to make encouraging gains in key markets such as China and North America, as well as seeing sustained customer demand for the Jaguar F-PACE, Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport.
“The last 12 months have seen the launch of three completely new product lines, and successful growth across many of our existing products. Jaguar sales are still increasing strongly and Jaguar is now Europe’s fastest-growing car brand.”
Full year sales for Jaguar stood at a record 172,848 vehicles – up 83% compared to the prior year. This was primarily driven by the successful introduction of the F-PACE and solid sales of the XE and XF.
In Q4, the big cat claimed 53,972 sales, up 81% on the same quarter last year; and 27,820 units in March, up 83% compared to the corresponding month last year.
Land Rover retailed 431,161 vehicles during the financial year, up just 1% compared to last year but impacted by the run-out of both the Defender and the old-model Discovery.
The company said the Discovery Sport – now Land Rover’s fastest-selling model, Evoque and Range Rover Sport had all performed strongly.
The marque endured a tough Q4 with sales of 125,537, down 3% on corresponding quarter in the previous year.
However, it bounced back in March with sales of 63,018 vehicles, up 5% compared to March 2016.
The company will be hoping the brand’s fortunes improve further during the current year, which will be boosted by the arrival of the new Discovery and the Velar, the newly-launched addition to the Range Rover family, positioned between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport.
