Jaguar Land Rover sales fell by almost six percent last year amid slumping sales in China and a drop in demand for diesels.
In a statement issued on Friday the company said that it sold 557,706 cars last year. The Jaguar brand's sales fell by 11 percent to 162,601 units, while Land Rover's sales fell by 3.8 percent to 396,105.
The business side of Jaguar Land Rover
Meanwhile sales in China alone fell by 14 percent, but it has already reported a significant growth in sales in the region since.
"2019 was a year of two halves," said chief commercial officer Felix Brautigam. "Over the last six months we saw a marked improvement in China, where intensive work with our retailers, combined with significant process and product improvements are starting to gain traction."
Despite the fall in sales across 2019 as a whole, in December it began to recover, reporting a 1.3 percent sales increase. While Jaguar sales continued to struggle, dropping 17 percent to 13,372, Land Rover sales increased by 9.6 percent to 39,442.
Amid the sales struggles, Jaguar Land Rover has been working on a number of cost-cutting measures. Last year it began a process of cutting its workforce by a tenth as part of its £2.5 billion savings plan.
The measures proved somewhat successful, with the company returning to profit by September, posting profits of £156 million.
While dealing with its own in-house issues, Jaguar Land Rover has also had to content with the wider changes in the automotive landscape. It has increased its investment on greener alternatives, and a joined forces with BMW to develop electric drivetrains and gearboxes in order to save on costs.
Source: Automotive News Europe