Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK's leading maker of premium luxury vehicles, achieved its best full-year global sales performance in 2015, selling 487,065 vehicles, up five percent year-on-year.
The company said in a media statement that sales had more than doubled since 2009. JLR's global performance in 2015 showed a balanced regional portfolio with record retail sales in the UK, North America and Europe. Sales in Europe and the UK each topped 100,000 vehicles for the first time: Europe was the company's largest sales region in 2015 with sales of 110,298, up 28 percent year-on-year.
North American sales totaled 94,066 units, up 25 percent year-on-year. Growth in these markets offset lacklustre performance in China and other overseas markets, at 92,474 and 89,592, down 24 percent and seven percent year-on-year respectively.
This reflected local market conditions, model transitions and the impact of an industrial explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in August, the release said.
Land Rover sold more than 400,000 vehicles for the first time, clocking sales of 403,079, up six percent year-on-year. The company sold more Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports in 2015 than ever before due to strong customer demand, the release said.
Sales of the new Discovery Sport beginning in early 2015 increased to over 10,000 a month, second only to the best-selling Range Rover Evoque.
Jaguar sales in 2015 were up three percent, with 83,986 units being sold. This was the brand's strongest full-year performance in a decade, driven by sales of the Jaguar XF and the new Jaguar XE, shortlisted for the European Car of The Year 2016.
The recently launched lightweight aluminium Jaguar XF and 2016 model year XJ, together with the launch in 2016 of the new Jaguar XE in North America and the F-PACE performance crossover worldwide are expected to accelerate Jaguar sales growth, the release said.
JLR is expanding its manufacturing footprint, as well, said the company It would start a manufacturing unit in Slovakia, the first British carmaker to do so. Its award winning Range Rover Evoque would be added to its Pune manufacturing unit to boost sales in India. It already produces the Freelander 2, Jaguar XF and XJ at the Pune facility.
Production at the Pune plant has tripled since its inauguration in 2011 and the move to produce the Range Rover Evoque there is part of Jaguar Land Rover's plans to expand its manufacturing footprint globally, increasing its production capacity outside of the UK.
Source : BS Motoring