Press Report : New car sales slump in UK, but Jaguar sales double

John Cranage, Birmingham Post, 5th March, 2009

Jaguar XF is responsible for the companys success
Jaguar XF is responsible for the company's success

Jaguar sales more than doubled in February as the rest of the UK car industry stayed in negative territory. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders this morning showed that registrations of new cars fell by 22 per cent to 54,359 last month and were 28 per cent down – at 166,446 – over the first two months of 2009.

However, Jaguar shrugged off its financial worries and plant shutdowns to sell 360 cars last month, 108 per cent more than in the same month in 2008. The rise is due to strong demand for the Big Cat’s popular XF mid-range saloon which is built at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham. But comparisons with February 2008 are skewed by the fact that the XF did not go on sale until March that year.

Germany, which has introduced a scrappage scheme that rewards owners of old cars for trading them in exchange for new, cleaner models, saw registrations rise by 21 per cent to 278,000 units in February

Land Rover, in contrast, continued to lose ground in the downturn. Volumes fell by 21 per cent to 501 in February and were 47 per cent down at 2089 over the year so far.

Although February is traditionally a quiet month for car sales in the UK because many buyers wait for March’s registration plate change, the figures show that ‘urgent action” is still needed by the Gopvernment to put a floor under the recession-battered industry, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said.

Germany, which has introduced a ‘scrappage” scheme that rewards owners of old cars for trading them in exchange for new, cleaner models, saw registrations rise by 21 per cent to 278,000 units in February.

[Source: Birmingham Post]

Clive Goldthorp

5 Comments

  1. Delighted yes, suprised no. i knew this would be happening…trust jaguar to start succeeding in this middle of a recesion lol. just makes u think how well jaguar would be doing if these were still the boom years.
    ok so the figures are not entirally accurate but its definetly a big step in the right direction.
    just goes to show….the brand has always been held in the highest regard, all it needed was the right product to back this.
    with the XJ coming all that is needed now is a replacement for the X type. i was by no means a fan of the current one but i still think that if jaguar put there mind to it…they could come up with an unbelievable baby jag that would sell in bucket loads.
    but hey ho, thats life.
    anyway, well done jaguar u should be proud!!

  2. Jaguar should replace the X type- it could be for them what the 3 series is for BMW- just follow the same logic that gave us the fabulous XF- with 2.0 and 3.0 diesels it would be top notch.

  3. Funny how this story didn’t get any news coverage, isn’t it?

    Didn’t get through the BBC’s anti-automotive filter, I suppose!

  4. I agree that Jaguar should be prioritising a replacement for the X Type. They seem to have got cold feet given the comparative failure of the current model, although the only real problem with this car now is that its old – very old by compact executive standards. Applying the same kit of parts philosophy that produced the XF could create a very effective replacement with all important rear wheel drive.

  5. Unfortunately Jaguar remain no alternative for the 40K Mile/year driver I am. Jaguar should market swiftly market new economical petrol engines. Then only they will be in a position to play in the BMW/Audi playground.
    I use a AUDI A8 and own a Jaguar XJR-s 6.0.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.