Jaguar Land Rover sales recover 13.1% Quarter-on-Quarter; China sales growing year-on-year

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has released the 2020 sales figures on Monday and said Jaguar Land Rover marked the end of 2020 with a second successive quarter-on-quarter recovery in sales, despite the continuing impact of COVID-19.

The British firm, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, said that the retail sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, were at 1,28,469 vehicles 13.1 per cent higher than the 113,569 vehicles sold in the preceding quarter, but down 9.0 per cent on the same period last year. It added, China's sales were encouraging and were 20.2 per cent up on the prior quarter and 19.1 per cent year-on-year.

Retail Sales in other regions

Tata Motors in its release about JLR said, retail sales in most other regions also continued to recover and were up significantly on the prior quarter in North America (up 31.7 per cent), Overseas (up 26.6 per cent) and Europe (up 20.5 per cent). However, sales in these regions have not yet recovered to pre-COVID levels with sales for the quarter lower than a year ago in North America (down 17.2 per cent), Overseas (down 20 per cent), Europe (down 16.3 per cent) and the UK (down 8.9 per cent).

The sales ramp-up of the new Land Rover Defender saw retails rising to 16,286 vehicles in the October to December quarter, up 66 per cent on the preceding quarter with sales of the shorter wheelbase Defender 90 has started. For Jaguar, retail sales of the multi-award-winning all-electric I-PACE were up 69.3 per cent year-on-year with 7,807 sold in the quarter, as demand for electric vehicles continues to grow.

For the calendar year 2020, Jaguar Land Rover retail sales were 425,974, down 23.6 per cent on 2019, reflecting the industry impact of Covid-19 particularly in the first half of the year when plants were shut down for more than two months. However, the company has since seen sales increase quarter-on-quarter by over 53 per cent in the quarter ended 30 September, followed by the 13.1 per cent increase in the most recent quarter.

Felix Brautigam, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Commercial Officer, said: "2020 was a year of two halves and, although Covid-19 continues to significantly impact the global auto industry, we are delighted to end the year with a second consecutive quarter of sales recovery. Our performance in China, the region least impacted by Covid-19 in the most recent quarter, has been particularly encouraging with our sales there growing on both a year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis. Other markets are also showing strong signs of recovery, despite second COVID waves across the globe.

We are well-placed in keeping our retailers open for business with online sales solutions, even when their doors are closed through lockdowns. This is also evidenced by the Land Rover website being ranked #1 in the most recent J.D. Power Study. An online ordering system in many markets enables people to reserve their vehicle digitally from home. Combined with safe, sanitised click and collect delivery options, this gives Jaguar and Land Rover customers ultimate convenience and flexibility."

In response to strengthening global demand, Jaguar Land Rover has continued to roll out its exciting new range of 21 Model Year vehicles, incorporating the very latest technologies. The company remains committed to its electrification strategy and has a growing portfolio of electrified Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and mild-hybrid (MHEV) vehicles, as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and petrol engines, giving its customers even more choice. Following the significant expansion over the year, electrified options now extend to 12 models across the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolios, with PHEV available on 8 vehicle lines and MHEV on 11, as well as the all-electric Jaguar IPACE.

With sales of new electrified vehicles including the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque PHEVs ramping up through the October to December quarter, a total of 53 per cent of the company's retail sales for the three months were electrified. This included 6.1 per cent all-electric, 5.5 per cent PHEV and 41.4 per cent MHEV.

This brings the share of electrification to 43.3 per cent of the company's sales for 2020, with that figure poised for further growth in 2021 and beyond.