New Year’s honours to Jaguar as Big Cat’s sales climb 182%
JAGUAR proved the stellar performer in January’s UK car sales table with new registrations for the marque up by a staggering 182%.
The figures underlined a strong performance across the whole new car market as January picked up where December left off, with the 169,678 cars registered last month being the best start to a new year since 2005.
The 2.9% increase on last January will reinforce confidence in the domestic automotive market and if 2016 proves to be as successful as last year, when 2.66m new cars were registered then it will be positive news for the wider economy.
Mike Hawes, chief executive, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “January’s solid performance puts the new car sector in a good position to start the year. Providing consumer confidence remains strong, we expect a more stable 12 months ahead, broadly similar to 2015 which was, of course, a record year.”
However, it is the XE Factor which is providing just as much of a buzz this month because the remarkable performance from Jaguar underlines just how ambitious parent company JLR is for the brand during 2016.
While the figures are not broken down by model, it is undoubtedly the brand’s entry level saloon that is proving such a hit with consumers.
When you factor in an all-new XF and the launch of the F-Pace crossover later this year then this could be a very big 12 months for the Big Cat.
Sales totalled 2,252 (2015: 800) last month, giving Jaguar a 1.33% market share – not big on the face of it but for a niche supplier it represents a very credible performance.
To put this into context, Jaguar now has a bigger share of the market than Lexus, MINI and Porsche.
German rivals Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz also saw sales rise but at a far more modest rate – 1.4%, 3.2% and 26% respectively. Nevertheless, each commands a larger market share than Jaguar.
Jaguar stable-mate Land Rover continued its improvements with sales up 7.1% on the month. It sold 4,609 vehicles (2015: 4,303), giving it a market share of 2.72%.
Longbridge-based MG UK saw its sales rise 133.9% last month, although the total number of vehicles registered was just 313.Nevertheless, the firm was delighted with the performance.
Responding to the performance by the West Midlands manufacturers, Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “It is gratifying that our car sector is in such healthy shape at the start of 2016. Jaguar Land Rover continues to go from strength to strength while it is good to see MG’s figures also increasing substantially.
“The West Midlands long history as a centre of car manufacturing is well known but January’s figures prove that our car industry is still very much a force to be reckoned with in an era of challenging global competition.”
Keith Parry, Motor Retail Director at Barclays in the Midlands, said: “A sparkling performance from the new car market in January, which is doubly impressive when the wider operating environment is taken into account. The industry has shrugged off the recent uncertainty in the UK and global economy and retained the momentum gained during a record breaking 2015.”
