Like many carmakers and even brands in general, Jaguar Land Rover has reported a drop in global sales for 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. But judging by the last quarter results, the British company is showing signs of recovery.
Jaguar Land Rover sold 425,974 vehicles in in 2020, including Range Rover models. That’s down a distressing 23.6 per cent on 2019. However, during the first half of the year the company had to shut down some of its production facilities for over two months due to COVID-19.
As a sign of recovery, in the third quarter, for example, sales jumped back up by 53 per cent on the second quarter. And then during the last quarter the figures rose 13.1 per cent on the third quarter. Even still, with 128,469 vehicles sold in the final quarter, that’s down 9.0 per cent on the same period in 2019.
The Jaguar I-PACE experienced a 69.3 per cent increase in sales during that last quarter compared with the same period in 2019, showing signs of increased demand for electric vehicles. Meanwhile the new Land Rover Defender reported a 66 per cent rise in units, between the third to the fourth quarter. The iconic nameplate, which has just welcomed an all-new generation, reported 16,286 sales between October and December.
Also in tune with demand for eco-friendly vehicles, sales of electrified models, such as the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque PHEVs, accounted for 53 per cent of the company’s overall sales during the last quarter. In fact, for the entire year, sales of electrified models accounted for 43.3 per cent of the company’s overall sales. That share is expected to increase in 2021 as the company rolls out more hybrid and mild-hybrid systems for its portfolio.
In terms of the specific brands, Land Rover/Range Rover sold 323,480 vehicles around the world in 2020, down 18.3 per cent on 2019 efforts. Jaguar sold 102,494 vehicles, down 36.6 per cent on 2019. The most popular models for each brand were the Range Rover Evoque and the Jaguar F-PACE, respectively. Both compete in the medium-size SUV market segment (in Australia anyway).
Back home in Australia, Jaguar Land Rover (combined) sold 7665 vehicles according to December VFACTS figures, down 31.3 per cent on the 11,153 units registered in 2019. Of those, Jaguar brand sales contributed 1326 units (down 41.7 per cent), and Land Rover/Range Rover made up 6339 units (down 28.6 per cent).
The most popular models for Jaguar in Australia were the E-PACE (662 units), the F-PACE (311 units), and the XE (196). As for Land Rover, it was the Range Rover Sport (1642), the Evoque (1367), and the Discovery Sport (1205). All models reported a decrease in sales on 2019 efforts, dropping between roughly 20 and 50 per cent.
