Jaguar Land Rover reported an 8% decline in its November retail sales, reflecting what the premium auto-maker called “continuing challenging market conditions in China”.
Sales in China were down 50.7% as “market conditions remain difficult with continuing consumer uncertainty following tariff changes and trade concerns.”
The company said it was “focused on taking all the operational actions necessary to balance production with demand.”
Between the brands, Jaguar did better than Land Rover in November.
Non-Chinese markets, meanwhile, performed well. Retail sales were up 18% in North America, setting a record for November sales. This was largely due to strong sales of Range Rover models.
Sales were also 5.6% higher in Europe and up 3.2% in the UK.
On an overall basis, retail sales were at 48,160 vehicles in November 2018, down 8.0% year-on-year.
The company has been hit by the ongoing tariff war between China and the US, as well as uncertainties regarding the UK’s exit from the European Union.
“Jaguar Land Rover continues to work closely with retailers in China to respond to the present market conditions,” the company said.
The company will also release whole sale numbers separately.
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Jaguar retail sales were 14,909 vehicles in November, up 8.9% year on year, driven by the introduction of the E-PACE and I-PACE.
“Jaguar sales were up in all key markets except China, with the sporty compact SUV EPACE and newly introduced all-electric I-PACE driving demand,” the company said.
The numbers were dampened by lower sales of Jaguar sedans and the F-PACE.
Land Rover retailed 33,251 vehicles in November, down 14.0% year-on-year due to lower sales of Discovery Sport, Discovery and Evoque, primarily in China.
However, sales of refreshed Range Rover and Range Rover Sport were strong during the month, the company added.
The latest Land Rover model, the all new Range Rover Evoque, was announced last month and will go on sale in 2019 with hybrid powertrain options.
“We are encouraged to see our best ever November sales performance in North America, propelled by strong SUV sales,” said Felix Brautigam, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Commercial Officer.
“This performance was combined with growth in Europe and the UK where we have outperformed the market; a significant accomplishment in today’s challenging conditions.”
The company said it expects Land Rover models too see higher sales with the launch of the new Range Rover Evoque in early 2019.
It will be introduced in petrol and diesel variants with a “mild hybrid option”.
The company promised that a three cylinder plug-in hybrid model will follow.