Jaguar has blamed supply chain shortages for a collapse in sales last year confirmed in its latest published figures.
The luxury car maker, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, delivered 86,200 vehicles in 2021, down 15 per cent on the year before.
The plunge in sales was particularly stark in the final quarter of 2021; deliveries in the three-month period to 31 December were down 48 per cent on a year earlier.
It comes as the British brand has outlined its intention to exclusively sell electric vehicles from the middle of this decade. However, sales of its lone battery model – the I-Pace – plunged last term, records show.
Sales slump: Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, delivered 86,200 vehicles in 2021, down 15% on the year before
The Coventry-based group said it – like every other vehicle manufacturer globally – had been hit by the worldwide shortage in semiconductors, but that this was starting to ease.
The limited supply of chips has only added to Jaguar’s recent woes.
It is one of the car brands hardest hit by the huge shift away from ‘dirtier’ diesel engines in recent years, with oil burners its biggest sellers before the VW emissions cheating scandal in 2015.
Last year, bosses announced plans for the brand to become the ‘Tesla of the West Midlands’ but declaring it will become a pure electric car manufacturer by 2025.
Land Rover posted a 3.4% increase in sales in 2021, which was stark contrast to sister brand, Jaguar
However, it could have a struggle on its hands.
Jaguar sales for 2021 are just 9 per cent of the 936,000 cars delivered by Tesla.
In the UK alone, Tesla sold seven of its electric vehicles to every Jaguar purchased, making the US firm the executive company car of choice in Britain last year.
As for the I-Pace, which costs from £64,000, demand had slipped by 27 per cent year-on-year with just 9,800 sold worldwide.
That’s a near 50 per cent decline on I-Pace sales in 2019.
Jaguar has set out its intention to become a luxury electric car maker from 2025, though 2021 sales of its only existing EV – the £65,000 I-Pace (pictured) – fell by a massive 27% year-on-year
On the flipside, Jaguar’s sister brand, Land Rover, saw a small sales increase, rising by 3 per cent to over 334,500 units for the calendar year.
Much of this was down to appetite for the recently-revealed new Range Rover and the ever-popular Defender 4X4.
This is despite significant lead times for both models – particularly the Defender, which has a 12-month waiting list for particular examples of the utilitarian offroader.
Jaguar Land Rover is the biggest car maker in the UK with around 30,000 employees.
Commenting on previous quarter sales, Lennard Hoornik, JLR’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: ‘The New Range Rover is the embodiment of Jaguar Land Rover’s vision for Modern Luxury by Design. We are delighted that positive feedback at launch has led to a strong order intake for this first all new modern luxury model.
‘Furthermore, the Land Rover Defender continues to contribute to a record order bank next to our all electric Jaguar I-Pace.
‘Semi-conductor supply challenges continue within the industry but our wholesale volumes are improving. We look forward to completing delivery to global customers as supply improves in 2022.’
