Luxury automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has announced strong regional sales growth for the first half with Jaguar posting a 21 per cent increase in sales compared to the same period last year, while Land Rover sales were up 33 per cent.

Announcing the results for its 2012 – 2013 fiscal year (April to September 2012), Jaguar Land Rover said this was the best first half regional sales performance in four years.

The manufacturer confirmed that all nameplates across the Jaguar line-up contributed to the growth, with sales of its luxury saloon the Jaguar XF up 38 per cent on the same period last year.

Land Rover also delivered a strong regional performance, with yaer to date sales led by continued demand for its LR2/Freelander 2 and Range Rover Evoque vehicles, in addition to the flagship Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Land Rover LR4.

In the GCC, the Range Rover Sport made a significant contribution towards double digit sales growth for Land Rover in Kuwait (61 percent), Qatar (27 percent) and KSA (10 percent).

Commenting on the growth, Robin Colgan, the managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Mena said, “The demand remains high for our current line-up of vehicles, and with the introduction of new products like our 13MY Jaguar vehicles and the All-New Range Rover, I am confident we will continue to experience strong growth.”

"The news reaffirms the importance of the Mena region for Jaguar Land Rover, which remains Jaguar’s fifth and Land Rover’s sixth largest market globally," he added.

According to him, the market highlights for Jaguar included a sales increase of 400 per cent in Morocco, due to the introduction of the 12MY Jaguar XF 2.2 diesel vehicle.
 
"Azerbaijan witnessed a 46 per cent increase in sales for the same period in 2011. In addition, Jaguar continued to sustain year on year sales growth in key GCC markets including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

For Land Rover, notable market performers included North Africa, where sales of the Land Rover LR2 and Range Rover Evoque drove a 314 per cent growth in Morocco and a 63 per cent growth in Algeria.-TradeArabia News Service