Jaguar Land Rover is pleased to report sales are increasing and 2023 is looking very strong. As of 31 December 2022, the automotive conglomerate owned by Tata Motors had 215,000 client orders, with an increase of around 10,000 orders since the end of September. As expected, the increased interest was driven by fresh products such as the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, both of which can be had with BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.
Other than that, the Defender remains a popular choice, especially now with the eight-seater version. From October to December, JLR wholesale volumes rose to 79,591 units or 5.7 percent more than the previous quarter and by 15 percent over the same quarter in 2021. Shipments in North America increased 17 percent while those to the UK increased 10 percent. Demand fell 13 percent in China because of the coronavirus pandemic and 3 percent in Europe.
Despite the positive results, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore suddenly decided to step down at the end of last year, citing personal reasons. Keep in mind that Jaguar will be reinvented as a pure electric brand in early 2025, but no new products have been launched until then. The transition to an EV-only marque was announced by the former head honcho with the “Reimagine” global strategy presented in February 2021.
One of the first decisions Thierry Bollore made after being named CEO was to cancel the recently unveiled electric XJ. Like the canceled J-Pace big SUV, it was supposed to use the MLA platform and compete with the Mercedes EQS and BMW i7. As to why it was discontinued at the last minute, JLR “concluded that the planned replacement of the XJ was inconsistent with our vision for Jaguar’s brand image.”
As a refresher, Reimagine’s plans also call for no fewer than six electric Land Rover models based on the Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. The first is slated to arrive in 2024, with 60 percent of all Land Rover sales represented by EVs by the end of the decade. It’s too soon to say whether the agenda will change under new management.
