Land Rover posts highest monthly sales in UK

Tata Motors-owned marquee brand Land Rover on Thursday reported its best ever monthly sales in the UK market where it is based, with 11,300 units sold in March, up 67 per cent from the same month last year.

"Land Rover UK has had an incredible start to 2010. March has seen an all-time record in our home market, which is extremely encouraging," Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham said in a statement.

He attributed the growth to the good response received by the 2010 model year cars -- Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery 4 and Freelander 2. "It is the most efficient and technologically advanced line-up of vehicles Land Rover has ever had, ensuring a continued demand for our brand," Popham said.

This is the seventh consecutive month of growth for the Land Rover brand in the British market. The statement said the global retail sales have also risen 43 per cent in March, while sales growth during the first quarter of 2010 has been 36.6 per cent, without providing the absolute numbers.

It said the brand has shown improved performance in the European markets, Brazil, South Korea and China. In the USA, the brand's second largest market, March sales were up 23 per cent at 2,975 units. Sales in China saw a jump of over two-fold at over 2,000 units.

The East Asian giant is now the third largest market for the brand, the statement said. Among other countries, sales of Land Rover cars went up over two-fold in South Korea, Brazil, Switzerland and Turkey in March.

In addition, the brand also showed good growth in Austria, Spain, Germany, France and The Netherlands.