JAGUAR Land Rover sales rose 60% in February in a sign the global car market is continuing its recovery.
Owner Tata Motors today revealed JLR’s global sales in February 2010 stood at 17,197 vehicles. Jaguar sales for the month were 3,292, up 55%, while Land Rover sales were 13,905, higher by 62%.
Sales of luxury cars slumped during the recession and the company has had to axe 2,000 jobs from its total workforce of 16,000, including temporary and agency roles at its Halewood plant.
The plant, which now employs around 2,000 people, also saw the early termination of the Jaguar X-Type car, which had been built there. It now focuses on the Land Rover Freelander 2.
But Halewood is now gearing up for the launch next year of the “baby” Range Rover LRX model, which the company says will be the greenest vehicle it has yet produced.
Tata said today that cumulative sales for the year to date (April-February) were down 16% on the same period the previous year, at 170,444. Land Rover sales were down 11% at 127,668 while Jaguar sales were down 26% at 42,776.
