JLR half-year sales rise 14%

JaguarLandRover (JLR) has delivered its strongest half year sales performance, retailing 240,372 vehicles, up 14 per cent against the same period last year. 

The company delivered more vehicles in the past six months than in the whole of 2010.  In the month of June, Jaguar Land Rover retailed 39,594 vehicles, 17 per cent up year-on-year.

Jaguar sales rose 16 per cent year-on-year, retailing 43,587 vehicles in the calendar year to date and 7,595 in the month of June alone.

Land Rover strengthened its position with six-month sales reaching 196,785 vehicles, up 14 per cent year-on-year.  In June, Land Rover sold 31,999 vehicles, up 18 per cent with strong performances across the range.

JLR claims it is investing in 50 new product actions over the next five years.  This includes £1.5 billion to launch the all-new, technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models, beginning with the new Jaguar XE premium sedan to be manufactured from 2015 at its facility in Solihull, birthplace of Land Rover.

The XE will be powered by the new 2-litre Ingenium diesel engine, part of an upcoming family of diesel and gasoline engines based on 0.5-litre cylinder capacity that will start to be manufactured from next year at the company’s benchmark i54 facility near Wolverhampton. The aluminium block I4 engine weighs 80kg less than competing engines according to JLR. Ingenium will migrate across the JLR product range.  

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which goes on sale in 2015, will be the most versatile and capable vehicle in the compact SUV segment, JLR claims.  

It is the first member of an all-new family of Discovery vehicles, inspired by the Discovery Vision Concept which was showcased at the New York International Auto Show in April.