The coronavirus pandemic hit car sales across the globe, but even though JLR’s new registrations fell by almost a quarter, the British firm’s bosses are seeing some green shoots of recovery.
The company, which compromises both Land Rover and Jaguar saw a 23.6 per cent decline in sales year-on-year, with 323,480 Land Rovers and 102,494 Jaguars sold. But the firm have been given some positive news with the final quarter of 2020 showing something of a bounceback, with October to December showing a 13.1 per cent increase on the previous financial quarter.
China too has been an area of growth towards the back end of the last year, with a 19.1 per cent increase for the final quarter year-on-year.
“Although Covid-19 continues to significantly impact the global auto industry, we're delighted to end the year with a second consecutive quarter of sales recovery,” said JLR boss Felix Bräutigam.
“Our performance in China, the region least impacted by Covid-19 in the most recent quarter, has been particularly encouraging, with our sales there growing on both a year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis.
"Other markets are also showing strong signs of recovery, despite second Covid waves across the globe. We are well-placed in keeping our retailers open for business with online sales solutions, even when their doors are closed through lockdowns.”