Land Rover achieves record sales

LAND Rover is today expected to announce its best ever month in terms of sales – flying in the face of the trend towards smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.

Monthly figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) are expected to show that sales of the iconic vehicles in March were up 60% on the same month last year.

According to SMMT figures, approximately 11,000 Land Rovers were sold in the UK last month – more than in any other month since the brand was founded in 1948.

It is ironic that the results should be announced today – the fifth anniversary of the collapse of the brand’s one-time parent MG Rover.

That the record sales are announced in the same week that fuel prices are expected to hit an all-time high is also unexpected and is an indication that UK motorists are not yet ready to abandon their 4x4s in favour of smaller vehicles.

The reasons for the boost are not clear but a recovering economy; competitive pricing and the new March registrations are all thought to have played a part.

Whatever the reasons, the performance will have cheered Indian owner, Tata Motors, together with new Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth and his boss, Carl-Peter Forster. Both men are newly-appointed to their positions following the resignation of former JLR chief executive David Smith in January.

Tata has had endure one of the worst recessions in the history of the motor industry since purchasing the famous brands from Ford for £1.15bn in 2008.

In the first 10 months of its ownership, the company lost around £280m as global sales declined. The company’s previous best month came in March 2006 when the company was still under Ford ownership. In that month 10,600 new vehicles were registered.

The carmaker employs some 14,000 workers with around 2,000 at Halewood, Merseyside.