“JLR's Q1 sales up by 3.5%”

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc reported its results for the Quarter ended June 30 2017 showing an encouraging customer response to the company's innovative product portfolio.

Retail sales for the quarter reached 137,463 vehicles, up 3.5% on the previous year led by the 2017 World Car of the Year, and Women's Car of the Year award-winning Jaguar F-PACE (up 86% year on year)., following a sequence of successful market launches. Continuing strong demand was seen for well-established models such as the flagship Range Rover (up 14%) and freshly launched models such as the long wheelbase Jaguar XFL in China (boosting overall XF sales by 22%).

Sales were up year-on-year in China (30%) and North America (16%), while remaining stable in Europe and down in the UK (14%) including the timing impact of Vehicle Excise Duty introduced in April 2017.

Revenue for the quarter was £5.6 billion, up £244m. Profit before tax was £595 million, up from £399 million in Q1 2016, including a £437 million one-off credit relating to recent changes designed to improve the sustainability of the company's defined benefit pension plans. This was offset by the expected seasonality of sales in Q1 following a strong Q4 of 2016/17, plus the continuation of launch and growth costs.

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