Jaguar’s global sales hit by ongoing microchip issue

Jaguar’s production of vehicles such as the F-Pace (above) were hit by chip shortages. Photo: Jaguar

Jaguar has recorded its lowest quarterly sales since 2013 as parent Jaguar Land Rover used its scarce microchips on the more profitable Land Rover brand.

Jaguar's global vehicle sales in the quarter ending December 31 fell 49 percent to 14,407, the lowest three-month total since the last quarter of 2013. Jaguar and Land Rover operations were merged into a single company in 2013 by Tata Motors, which bought the brands from Ford Motors in 2008.

The latest quarterly sales reduce the brand's volume to the low level it had before it expanded from selling sporty cars to adding SUVs and crossovers, as well as the current XE and XF sedans.

The result was also below that of the second quarter in 2020, when most countries were in the grip of the first lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"We target them to the right car," chief financial officer Adrian Mardell told investors on a call in November, without mentioning which cars, according to Europe Automotive News.

Despite getting priority for microchips sales of Land Rover (including Range Rover models) also fell during the Oct.-Dec. quarter. Sales were down 35 percent to 65,719.

Jaguar suffered toward the end of the year as JLR prioritised limited semiconductors for its hot-selling Land Rover models, including the new Defender, says Europe Automotive News

In New Zealand, 357 Jaguars were registered in 2021, compared with 353 in 2020. But the best year for Jaguar NZ was 2019 the 549 registrations. That impressive figure was due to the increased delivery here of the compact I-Pace crossover joining the performance F-Pace SUV, with the electric I-Pace launched later in 2019.