Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover retail sales fall 3% in November

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) posted fifth straight month of double-digit sales growth of 29 per cent in China. North America sales also grew by 4.9 per cent during the month under review, achieving best ever November sales levels

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Monday reported 3.4 per cent year-on-year decline in total retail sales at 46,542 units in November, dented by weak demand in UK, Europe and overseas market. Retail sales in China continued to recover for the fifth consecutive month in November, the company said in a statement.

Tata Motors, in an exchange filing, said that the UK-based luxury carmaker has posted fifth straight month of double-digit sales growth of 29 per cent in China. North America sales also grew by 4.9 per cent during the month under review, achieving best ever November sales levels.

The retail sales in United Kingdom (UK) were down by 10.8 per cent due to weak demand and lower incentives on select models. While Europe sales dipped 16.8 per cent, retail sales in overseas markets declined by 16.7 per cent, largely in Russia and Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, Tata Motors said in the regulatory filing.

Of the brands, Jaguar retail sales were down 23.1 per cent y-o-y to 11,464 vehicles during November 2019, and Land Rover retail sales stood at 35,078 units, up 5.5 per cent per cent from the same month last year.

Also Read: Tata Motors share has gained 32% in last three months: Time to buy, sell or hold the stock?

"Model highlights include the new Range Rover Evoque (up 25.2 percent), the refreshed Land Rover Discovery Sport (up 4.4 percent and just launching in China), as well as the Land Rover Discovery (up 15.5 percent) and Range Rover Sport (up 4.8 percent)," it said.

Commenting on retail sales, JLR Chief Commercial Officer Felix Brautigam said, "Against the backdrop of a downturn in the global automotive market, we were pleased to see our sales grow in the US and China. Despite the ongoing headwinds in China, we continue to see green shoots of recovery in our sales there. The intensive work with our retailers in the region, combined with significant process and product improvements are starting to gain traction."

Also Read: Over 1 lakh workers laid off as auto component revenues decline 10% in first half of FY20

"For Jaguar globally, we were very excited to launch our new Jaguar F- TYPE at the beginning of December, to initial very positive customer and media reaction. The two-seat sports car offers a perfect balance of performance and driver reward with an even more muscular, assertive design and further enhanced precision in the chassis set-up. Its cabin is defined by rich materials and beautiful, driver-oriented details, connectivity is state-of-the-art, but first and foremost it is an amazingly involving and exciting drive. In a similar vein, we were delighted to see the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE crossover win Germany's prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award in one of the world's most competitive markets for premium cars," Brautigam added.

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales for FY20 year to date (April to October 2019) were 345,976 units, down 5.9 per cent compared to the same period last year, and for the third quarter to date (October to November 2019) were 88,408 vehicles, down 4.4 per cent on yearly basis.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors share price closed 0.59 per cent lower at Rs 160.55 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Monday.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar