Jaguar Land Rover sales fall further as China crisis accelerates
Sales were down 4.1% for Jaguar Land Rover last month as the car giant continued to face headwinds of weak demand in China.
The company sold 38,288 vehicles in February, saying strong sales of the Jaguar I-PACE, E-PACE, refreshed Range Rover and Range Rover Sport were offset by overall weak customer demand in China which saw a 47.6% slump.
However, retail sales were up significantly in North America (25.4%), UK (11.3%) and modestly higher in Europe (1.1%).
Jaguar retail sales in February were 12,235 vehicles, up 5.8% year-on-year reflecting increased sales of E-PACE and the all-electric I-PACE.
Land Rover retailed 26,053 vehicles in February, down 8.1% year-on-year.
Felix Brautigam, Jaguar Land Rover chief commercial officer, said: “In the face of ongoing macro-economic challenges being felt by the automotive industry, particularly in China, our strong sales growth in North America, UK and Europe reflect continued demand for our exciting product line-up and two strong brands. Encouragingly, all three regions posted sales growth against an industry decline. In North America high customer demand even resulted in the region’s best ever February sales numbers.
“Demand for the sporty compact E-PACE and the all-electric I-PACE powered growth for the Jaguar brand in key regions. After many awards and media accolades from around the world seeing the I-PACE named European Car of the Year makes us very proud. This recognition highlights an appreciation for Jaguar’s innovation by automotive experts and customers alike – as it was in its founding years. We also expect a further boost with the refreshed XE coming to market now, which turned out almost like a new car and definitely worth a close look.
“Despite strong sales of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, we saw a dip in sales for the Land Rover brand during the month. However, we can expect improvement as we launch the all new refined, compact yet sophisticated Range Rover Evoque with bold technology innovation, hybrid powertrain and space-efficient platform, pre-orders for which are promising.”
Jaguar Land Rover total retail sales for the 11 months to the end of February were 502,020, down 5.4% compared to the same period last year.
