Global sales up 30 per cent on 2011 to 357,773 units, with new jobs to follow at Solihull
Jaguar Land Rover’s global sales reached record levels in 2012. A total of 357,773 JLR vehicles were sold around the world last year, a 30 per cent increase on 2011, its previous best-ever year for sales.
The announcement has been accompanied by news that JLR will be employing 800 extra staff at its Solihull plant, to “support new model programmes throughout 2013”, understood to principally include the new Range Rover Sport.
Land Rover was the star performer in the group, its sales rising 36 per cent on 2011, although JLR has not provided an exact breakdown on the split between Jaguar and Land Rover.
But with Land Rover having sold 223,600 units in 2011, the rise indicates it comfortably breached the 300,000-unit barrier for the first time. Jaguar’s sales were up six per cent on 2011’s 50,700 units, rising to just below an estimated 54,000.
The Range Rover Evoque was the group’s best-performing model, selling 108,598 units in its first full year on sale.
China is now JLR’s largest market. It sold 71,490 units there in 2012, a 70 per cent rise. The UK is the second largest (68,333), followed by the US (55,675), Russia (20,549) and Germany (16,722).
JLR was not the only group or brand to have so far reported record sales in 2012. Last year was also a record one for BMW, Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi and Porsche.