It has been a few weeks since the New York Auto Show but the buzz from Land Rover’s impressive exhibit has hardly worn off. Readers may recall that Land Rover was using the event in part to celebrate their 25 year anniversary in the U.S. marketplace. Taking a look at March 2012 sales figures, Rover seems poised for 25 more.
Jaguar Land Rover collectively sold more than 45,000 vehicles in March of 2012. This number is the highest single-month sales figure ever for the automotive brand and represents a 40% increase from the March 2011 figures. “When you consider JLR’s performance so far this year – more than 45% ahead of last year – it’s clear we are on track to grow a sustainable business; a solid and profitable company,” noted Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Ralph Speth.
Hate it or love it, the Evoque is at least partly responsible for the surging sales figures. Also interesting is the fact that approximately 20 percent of Land Rover’s U.S. sales come from the New York metropolitan area(!). Land Rover was likely aware of this when they decided to feature an enormous, manmade off-road/obstacle course – an urban-jungle adventure – for customers to test drive vehicles as part of their 25th anniversary event.
In addition to the “urban jungle,” the Land Rover exhibit also gave onlookers an up close, hands on presentation of the past and present of the brand, featuring classic models like a 1966 Land Rover Series IIa and a 1987 Range Rover (the first model to be sold in the United States) juxtaposed with concepts for vehicles of the future like the Range Rover Evoque Convertible and the DC100.
The exhibit depicts the evolution of the Land Rover brand, a steady modernization of the vehicle lineup which has been unpopular among a great many Rover faithful. Although even critics must admit that the sales numbers don’t lie; Land Rover understands how to capitalize on opportunity in today’s automobile market, just as they did 25 years ago.
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