UK SALES MARCH - JLR - The British brand sells one car every 30 seconds in the UK in the month.

• Jaguar Land Rover sold a record 31,767 vehicles in the UK in March, up 26% on 2016.
• A Jaguar Land Rover model was registered every 30 seconds in March.
• Record March contributes to best-ever Q1 UK sales performance.
• Discovery Sport has overtaken the Range Rover Evoque as the fastest-selling Land Rover of all time in the UK, retailing 7,239 vehicles in March.
• The Jaguar XE enjoyed its best month in the UK since its 2015 launch, retailing 3,359 vehicles.

A Jaguar Land Rover vehicle was registered every 30 seconds in March as Britain’s biggest car manufacturer continued a record breaking start to 2017. 

Jaguar Land Rover celebrated its best March sales in its history with Jaguar sales up 68% to 9,484 and Land Rover achieving 22,283 sales, up by 14% percent, driven by a raft of new models.

Commenting on the performance, Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director said:

“After a record breaking 2016 and start to 2017 we are continuing our momentum with these March figures. In the midst of the current uncertain economic climate it shows that the Jaguar and Land Rover brands are stronger than ever here in the UK.”

“New products are driving this success, with both brands now offering a range of vehicles that suit the lifestyles and appeal to more buyers than ever before. We are no longer an attractive alternative but a serious rival to our established competitors. With new models on their way throughout 2017 this momentum looks set to continue.”

For Jaguar, the XE enjoyed its best month in the UK since its 2015 launch, retailing 3,359 vehicles last month. The F-PACE continues its impressive start as the fastest-selling Jaguar ever while gaining critical acclaim with more than 40 awards in its first year. The World Car of the Year finalist retailed 2,879 vehicles in March.

The Jaguar XJ continues to attract executive and fleet buyers, with 311 leaving UK showrooms in March. Its performance and luxurious credentials are demonstrated by the impressive fact that 8 out of 10 customers to take it for a test drive this year have been compelled into making a purchase.

Land Rover retailed 22,283 vehicles in March, its best sales month ever. The All-New Discovery enjoyed an impressive first full-month of sales with its versatile package and abundance of new technology making it the vehicle of choice for 3,284 UK buyers.

The Discovery Sport has overtaken the Range Rover Evoque as the fastest-selling Land Rover of all time in the UK, retailing an impressive 7,239 vehicles in March. Despite being in its seventh year of production, the all-conquering Evoque achieved its best ever sales month, with 6,736 leaving UK showrooms last month.

Momentum will continue with the impending arrival of the fourth member of the Range Rover family, the Range Rover Velar, which is available to order now. The first electric Jaguar, the I-PACE, will be revealed later in 2017 and the business has announced its intention to produce a new generation of the XF Sportbrake.

China and the US take the lead in Q1 sales worldwide, the UK takes the 4th biggest market title.

• Overall, 20.44 million units were sold across all segments in Q1 2016, largely driven by growth in the Chinese and European markets
• The SUV boom continued, with seven of the eight regions analysed posting double digit growth
• Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the strongest growth, largely driven by their SUVs
• Volkswagen posted a 1% decline on the same period in 2015

In Q1 2016, 558,700 more units (LCVs and passenger cars) were sold compared with the same period in 2015 according to a report released today by JATO Dynamics. Global car sales totalled 20.44 million units, a 2.8% increase on the same period in 2015. 

Significantly, the market’s biggest brands posted declines, with Volkswagen declining by 1%, Hyundai by 3% and Chevrolet by 9%. Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the biggest increases amongst the top 10 at 7%, 5% and 14% respectively.

In terms of models, the Toyota Corolla reported a 4.8% gain in Q1 2016 which saw it move up the ranking to become the best-selling vehicle for this period, knocking the Wuling Hongguang from the top spot.

The popularity of SUVs in China has been an ongoing source of growth, and the trend continued last quarter, with the country accounting for 36% of total sales in Q1 2016. Sales of SUVs in Europe (including Russia and Turkey) gave the overall market a boost with 20% growth and 1.11 million units sold.

SUVs continued to dominate across much of the rest of the world in Q1 2016, with the category increasing sales by 23% compared with the same period last year and five vehicles from the category entering the top 10 best-selling car ranking

These were the Nissan X-Trail, Honda HR-V, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. All regions included in the report posted positive growth for SUVs, with all except for Japan-Korea posting double digit growth. As a result of the growth, the market share of the SUV segment jumped to 27.4% compared to 23.0% in the same period of 2015. The growth in the SUV segment was offset by slower rises amongst the traditional segment leaders; Renault-Nissan kept the lead in the SUV category but its growth was half the average for the segment. The SUV category has room for improvement in India and South America as the segment only accounted for 15% and 14% of the country’s respective total volumes.

SUV growth also drove premium car volumes, with 2.15 million units sold, 833,300 of which were SUVs. Overall the premium category saw a dramatic 9% gain on the same period last year. The growth saw the category go from a 10.8% market share in Q1 2015 to 11.4% in Q1 2016. Europe was the strongest market for premiums, accounting for 43% of the global total. North America was second, losing ground at a 24% share, and closely followed by China-Taiwan with a 23% share of global sales.

Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO, concluded: “Q1 2016 saw dramatic changes as the SUV category increased its market dominance. The whole world wants a SUV, and this shift is evident in the brand ranking, as those that focused on this segment, were the brands that posted the largest gains.”

Grateful thanks to JATO Dynamics for the info and detailed figures.

MEXICO - Volkswagen tests the line in Puebla, Mexico, to ensure perfect build quality of the LWB Tiguan SUV.

• The first test body was built to check the calibration of the body shop equipment and the processes involved

Volkswagen de México has reached an early production milestone with the assembly of the first test body-in-white for the upcoming Tiguan Long Wheel Base, LWB, scheduled to begin its production during the first quarter of 2017.

After the construction of the new building for the body shop was concluded at the end of 2015, equipment and machinery installation is now nearing completion. The first test body was built in June to check the calibration of body shop equipment and processes.

The new body shop facility has an extension of 70,800 square meters. . So far, nearly 700 containers with more than 50,000 tons of equipment have arrived at the Puebla plant to be installed in the new building. 

The core of the highly automated production process are 800 Fanuc welding robots. Training programs for the personnel responsible for the programming of the robots and the automation controls are ongoing.

The first test body of Tiguan LWB was presented to the group of executives and workers that were part of this milestone.

Volkswagen de México will produce the Tiguan LWB, starting early 2017, for the worldwide markets, with exception of China.

Mazda UK has had a 12% rise in sales Year on Year and looks forward to a full year of growth and more records.

• Record March sales boost first quarter in a year where Mazda expects six per cent sales growth.
• Sales up 12 per cent year-on-year in the first five months of 2016.
• 2016 sees a renewed focus on the customer and delivering a first-class owner experience.

After making a flying start to the year with sales up 12 per cent year-on-year in the first five months, Mazda UK is forecasting that its volume will grow by six per cent in 2016. Total sales over the first five months of 2016 were 22,370, boosted by a record March that was the best single sales month in the company’s history.

In the key month of March Mazda UK sold more than 11,500 cars, beating the previous record of 11,450 set in September 2009 at the height of the scrappage scheme. Overall year-on-year growth of six per cent is seen as modest by Mazda UK Sales Director Peter Allibon – the company has, after all, just recorded three consecutive years of 20 per cent growth taking sales from 26,200 in 2012 to 45,500 last year.

The forecast this year is for sales to top 48,000 with the multi-award winning all-new Mazda MX-5 – the only car to win both World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year - and all-new Mazda CX-3 leading the charge. Allibon expects CX-3 sales to double to 5,250 units and MX-5 sales to grow by 1,700 over last year to top 4,700.

“We’ve seen a massive increase in retail sales and it’s very challenging for us and our dealers to deliver that kind of volume while focusing on the quality of service and ownership our customers expect. The additional volumes last year didn’t generate the extra profit for our dealers we would have liked so this year we want to focus on making sure the network hits the industry average for return on sales – something we keep just missing.”

Both Mazda UK and the dealer network are investing heavily to ensure that everyone who interacts with Mazda is positively surprised and feels personally engaged. The aim is delivering a first-class retail experience across our whole network “We have a two-year customer experience programme, a Mazda blueprint, which will change the way dealer staff approach customers. We want to get the quality aspect of everything we do right,” explained Allibon.

Following the global success of its new range, volumes of all of Mazda UK’s cars are constrained by capacity at Mazda Corporation’s worldwide factories. Global sales are 1.55m and capacity is 1.7m – the extra units go to joint venture manufacturing agreements. “It’s great news for Mazda Corporation but can present challenges to the sales director of a national sales company,” said Allibon adding that the constraint was actually good news for customers and dealers as demand outstripping supply helps keep residual values high.

“As an independent brand Mazda is doing extremely well, investing heavily in research and development for new models for the future. We’ve built a sustainable and profitable business which has credibility within the industry and is the franchise of choice for dealer groups looking to expand their portfolio. We now need to consolidate that business,” said Allibon.

- Ends -

Jaguar Land Rover UK’s fleet sales grew 84% in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015.

• Jaguar Land Rover UK’s fleet sales grew 84% in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015, as its key fleet-friendly models increased their share of the fleet market quicker than rivals
• Jaguar fleet sales alone grew exponentially by 194% in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015, as Land Rover’s increased by 53%
• One-in-three fleet cars sold in all the segments that Land Rover competes in during Q1 2016 was a Land Rover vehicle
• The Range Rover Evoque took a greater share of the UK fleet sector in Q1 2016 than premium rivals
• More growth to come as early figures suggest the new F-PACE – the best-selling Jaguar ever – will see one in six sales go to the fleet sector

Jaguar Land Rover UK’s fleet sales grew by 84% in Q1 2016 compared to Q1 2015, as XE, XF, Evoque and Discovery Sport models all posted rapid fleet sales growth - evidence of Jaguar Land Rover’s commitment to ensure 25% of its global sales will be to fleet and business customers by 2020.

With the introduction of business-friendly models, including the XE and XF with CO₂ from as low as 99g/km, Jaguar UK saw fleet sales grow by 194% from Q1 2015 to Q1 2016. 

Land Rover UK’s performance in Q1 2016 was so strong that one-in-three fleet cars sold in sectors the brand competes in was a Land Rover. The figures only include fleet sales classified as B, F or K by the SMMT*.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK MD, said: “Our Fleet & Business 2015 results are fantastic and prove we have an effective formula in place; we have desirable and sector appropriate cars, efficient Ingenium engines and class leading total cost of ownership – together, these factors deliver a compelling proposition for Fleet Managers to add Jaguar Land Rover to their fleet lists. With this formula in mind, and with an ever expanding range of stunning Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles on the horizon, I’m confident that there’s plenty more fleet growth to come.”

All of Jaguar Land Rover’s key fleet models – the XE, XF Evqoue and Discovery Sport – grew their share of the fleet sector more than any of their rivals when comparing the whole of calendar year 2015. Both the Jaguar XE and XF increased the shares of their fleet sectors more than competitor models. Likewise, where the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport grew their share of the fleet sector, rival models saw their share shrink. The Range Rover Evoque was a star performer in Q1 2016, outselling all of its premium rivals with 18.3% of fleet sales.

Fleet sales for 2016 are already on track to be the best yet, with a full-year of Ingenium-powered XE and XF sales, and the arrival of Evoque Convertible and F-PACE. Already the best-selling Jaguar ever, one-in-six F-PACE sales is predicted to go to the fleet sector. Jaguar Land Rover predicts that its fleet sales in 2016 will grow by 50% compared with 2015, with further double-digit growth through to 2020.

Jon Wackett, Jaguar Land Rover General Manager for Fleet and Business, said:

“Our Q1 2016 sales are a great example of the fleet-suitability that many of our new vehicles have. We’ve really disrupted a market that has been traditionally dominated by three or four brands by introducing extremely desirable cars that represent real-world value for money. We are strategically aiming to balance volume of sales against maintaining strong residual values which is a core buying decision for our existing and future customers.”

At the heart of Jaguar Land Rover UK’s fleet and business sales successes this year are the technologies that underpin the range. The aluminium-intensive construction, ultra-efficient Ingenium engines and low ownership costs have ensured there’s both a financial and an emotional reason to opt for a Jaguar or a Land Rover.

As well as a £3bn investment in facilities and new models in 2015, Jaguar Land Rover UK has also significantly invested in the corporate sales structure. A dedicated field-based sales team has been introduced across 50 Jaguar and Land Rover retailers supported by a further 22 people and led by five senior-level managers responsible for fleet and business sales.

Skoda releases sales, income and profits for teh first quarter of the year, and they are significantly higher than 2015.

• 6.4% sales revenue increase to 3.4 billion euros
• Operating profit increased 30.2% to 315 million euros
• ŠKODA’s new flagship SUPERB is among the growth factors

ŠKODA’s growth continues: The Czech automaker’s deliveries, sales revenue and operating profit have increased over the first three months of this year. This was ŠKODA’s strongest start to a new year ever, with sales increasing 4.3% to 276,600 vehicles in the first quarter. 

Sales revenue increased 6.4% in the same period to 3.379 billion euros; operating profit rose 30.2% to 315 million euros.

“ŠKODA has made an excellent start to the year,” says ŠKODA CEO Bernhard Maier, adding, “We have seamlessly continued the success of last year into the first quarter of 2016. We owe this especially to our strong model range, with the new ŠKODA SUPERB as an additional driving force, our highly motivated workforce and our commercial partners in the markets. The encouraging sales figures and strong financial results of the first quarter provide a solid foundation for further profitable growth. Our next model campaign begins with the upcoming launch of the new ŠKODA KODIAQ.” 

ŠKODA’s sales revenue rose 6.4 % to 3.379 billion euros between January and March 2016 (first quarter of 2015: 3.175 billion euros). Operating profit increased 30.2 %, reaching 315 million euros (first quarter of 2015: 242 million euros). Operating margin rose to 9.3% after 7.6% in the first quarter of the previous year. The higher profitability was primarily due to positive mix effects and better product costs.

“Thanks to this strong first quarter, ŠKODA’s profitable growth has continued and the company has again confirmed its financial strength and profitability,” explains ŠKODA CFO Winfried Krause. “Although the economic conditions remain challenging and the situation in some markets is difficult, we can build on our financial strength,” adds Krause.

ŠKODA AUTO Group – Key figures quarterly comparison, January to March 2016/2015*:

				January - March		2016/2015
				2016	2015	% Change
Deliveries to customers (DTC)		Cars		276,600	265,100	4.3
DTC without China		Cars		201,200	193,400	4.0
Production		Cars		197,800	186,400	6.1
Sales		Cars		207,100	196,100	5.6
Sales revenue		Million EUR		3,379	3,175	6.4
Operating profit		Million EUR		315	242	30.2
Operating profit as % of sales revenue		%		9.3	7.6	-
Investments (w/o capitalized development costs)		Million EUR		71	68	3.8
Net liquidity		Million EUR		3,393	2,395	41.7

*Deviations in the percentages are due to calculations using unrounded figures.

** Vehicle production excluding CKD units