Jaguar Land Rover MENA, the leading manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles, has today confirmed sales of its Land Rover brand were up 34% in 2012, with an increase of 27% on its Jaguar brand across the region. The announcement echoes Jaguar Land Rover’s recently announced global retail sales growth of 30% in 2012, the best global sales performance in the company’s history.

The regional results were achieved due to a strong product line-up and update programmes across its key nameplates. On Jaguar, the regional performance bucked the global trend to deliver a YOY increase of 27% in 2012 compared to a 6% growth globally.

Jaguar Land Rover MENA also cited its decision to revitalise brand operations within strategic markets across the region as a key factor in driving the growth, resulting in improved service levels and customer facing processes. In addition, traditionally strong GCC markets such as KSA, Qatar and the UAE continued to maintain their growth position.

Commenting on the achievement, Robin Colgan, Managing Director for Jaguar Land Rover MENA said: “This performance cements Jaguar Land Rover’s position as one of the leading premium automotive manufacturers in the region, and is testament to the success of the company’s global strategy to invest in new products and innovation.  Our focus in 2012 has been to enhance our brand operations and customer service offering across the region, which has also played a significant role in driving double digit growth across both brands. We look forward to continuing this success in 2013, driven by the introduction of new models including the All-New Range Rover and the stunning new Jaguar F-TYPE.”

On Land Rover, demand across the entire range of premium SUVs remained strong, with sales highlights including the Land Rover LR2 which was up 31% YOY in the MENA region, driven largely by North Africa markets.  In addition, 2012 regional sales of recently introduced products such as the Range Rover Evoque made a significant impact, up 470% in its first full year of sales.

With the completion of a revitalised line-up, Jaguar’s growth was led by its multi award-winning Jaguar XF saloon, delivering a year on year increase of 24%, almost double the global growth of 13% in 2012.  The achievement was driven in part by significant technology enhancements and the introduction of new powertrains to offer better economy, reduced emissions and smoother acceleration compared to previous models.