JLR India posts record sales in 2018

2018 was a record year for Jaguar Land Rover India as it sold 4,596 units, its highest ever in a year, recording a growth of 16.23 percent over the 3,954 units sold in 2017.

And as for several carmakers in the country, SUVs led the growth charge for JLR as well, accounting for over 50 percent of the volumes. Growth was driven by models such as Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque, and Jaguar F-Pace as well as the XE and XF.

The carmaker achieved this despite challenges over liquidity and depreciation of the rupee, mostly in the second half of the year.  “The auto industry faced strong headwinds in 2018, especially in the second half with tight liquidity conditions, increased upfront insurance costs and increased lending rates. Despite that, the growth of Jaguar Land Rover in India has been very encouraging," Rohit Suri, president and managing director, JLR India said.

The first half of 2018 proved to be quite positive for most luxury carmakers in India as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and JLR all reported a growth in sales. But while BMW India (10,405 units, up 11 percent), Volvo (2,638 units, up 30 percent) and now JLR have managed to buck the trend in terms of full-year sales, the country's leading luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is expected to report a flat growth.