JLR Sales In UK Falls As A Dormant Jaguar Offsets Land Rover Gains

A dormant Jaguar is eating into Land Rover’s growing pie. At least in the UK. Total retail sales of Jaguar Land Rover Plc, now known as just JLR, fell 11% year-on-year to 5,558 units in November 2024, as against 6,251 units in the year-ago period, according to vehicle registration data released by the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd. on its website Thursday. 

The brands together enjoyed a market share of 3.62%.

While Jaguar sales fell 53% year-on-year to 725 units last month, that of Land Rover rose 3% over the year earlier to 4,833 units. Clearly, Jaguar—which is in the throes of a reset of sorts—is eating into the growth of the SUV brand favoured by the British royalty.

On Nov. 12, Tata Motors Ltd.’s luxury unit announced that Jaguar is going dormant until 2026, when it will re-emerge selling only higher-end electric sedans. Until then, the storied British marque won’t ship any new cars to UK dealers. All Jags left in inventory are now classified as pre-owned, no matter the number on the odometer.

We saw a glimpse of Jaguar’s upcoming avatar earlier this week, and it was underwhelming to say the least.

In a revamp that’s more Barbie than Bond villain, Jaguar unveiled its first all-new electric car at the Miami Art Week on Tuesday. The Type 00 Concept—pronounced ‘Type Zero Zero’— has been shown in two colourways: Miami Pink and London Blue. While the former is a nod to the Art Deco architecture of the Magic City, the latter references the brand’s century-old British heritage. That’s a stark departure from Jag's roguish charm, often clad in black.

Simply put, the “copy nothing” Jaguar won’t appeal to the faithful.

But according to its managing director, Jaguar’s polarising makeover achieved exactly what it set out to do: attract attention.

“The purpose of this was to indicate that Jaguar is changing, and that Jaguar is changing in a very bold and dramatic way,” said Rawdon Glover in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “It was really designed to get eyeballs on really what we’ve been doing in Miami.”