TOUCHDOWN JAGUAR LAND ROVER

In the Big Game parlance, Jaguar Land Rover’s January sales were the equivalent of Jacoby Jones’ 108‑yard kick‑off return for a touchdown and Baltimore Ravens win: Outstanding, writes Chris Marchand, Executive Vice President, Operations, Jaguar Land Rover North America.

Our total Jaguar Land Rover U.S. sales were up by 25 percent in January compared to last January, with Land Rover being our star player turning in a remarkable 31 percent increase.

In fact, in Land Rover's 25 year history in the United States, the brand has never had a bigger first month of the year, reaching a record 4,200 units. That’s a big time performance.

Shifting to basketball lingo, we had a Dream Team line up performing at peak level for Land Rover.  Range Rover saw an 88 percent increase for January; driven by the all‑new 2013 Range Rover which hit the market running just this December; our Range Rover Evoque got well into its stride and was up 37 percent and the Land Rover LR4 turned in a strong 15 percent gain for the month.

For us, the Range Rover Sport is simply the anchor of the team. It’s still our best‑selling model in the U.S. even though it’s now in its eighth year. To have seen an 11 percent increase last month is just a remarkable achievement and a testament to the enduring appeal of this dynamic, agile SUV.

So what drove this January sales to come out of the gate with such momentum?  I think it’s a mix of all of our new product coming on stream, plus a consistent presence in the marketplace from an advertising stand point. Turn on the TV to many major sporting events in the U.S. and chances are you’re going to see some form of Land Rover messaging.

Also the press coverage of the all‑new Range Rover has really put the spotlight on the brand. Accolades don’t get much better than the hugely‑influential British magazine CAR, recently voting the new Range Rover ‘The World’s Best Car’, and with Top Gear naming it their ‘Luxury Car of The Year’. 

We’re confident that this momentum will continue with the help of new product like the hugely‑improved Land Rover LR2, which gets a new 240‑hp 2.0‑liter turbocharged four‑cylinder, refreshed exterior and significantly updated interior.

It’s on the Jaguar front where we’re expecting to see perhaps our biggest gains later in the game. While January saw a solid 4 percent increase, some of our key new ‘rookies’ had yet to arrive in showrooms. By that, I mean this month will be the first where we see retailers with availability of our key Instinctive All Wheel Drive™ models ‑ the 3.0‑liter supercharged V6 XJ and XF. Add to that our new entry model into the Jaguar family, the XF 2.0‑liter powered by a 240‑hp turbocharged four‑cylinder that delivers an EPA‑estimated 30mpg on the highway.

There is also more excitement to come from Jaguar this summer where our showrooms will be featuring the highly‑anticipated F‑TYPE two‑seat roadster and the new supercharged 550‑hp Jaguar XFR‑S that we unveiled at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. These are truly exciting times for Jaguar Land Rover here in North America. Like Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones heading for that amazing touchdown, just watch us run.

Disclaimer: Chris Marchand is from Maryland!