Jaguar Land Rover Reports Increase In Sales Of Special Vehicle Operations

Despite the impact of the coronavirus on sales towards the end of the 2019/2020 fiscal period, over 9,500 were sold in the last year, thanks to sustained demands for the Range Rover Sport SVR, which was released five years ago. Significant new contributions from the two latest models from the SVO group, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR and the luxurious 565BHP long-wheelbase Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography, which were both introduced last year also made an impact.

Michael van der Sande, the managing director of JLR Special Vehicle Operations, said: "Despite a challenging sales environment for the automotive industry as a whole, we're delighted that the demand for Jaguar and Land Rover SV products continues to grow strongly, just five years after the division was first launched. We currently have our broadest-ever range of models offering enhanced performance and luxury, each with its own distinctive personality that resonates with our customers."

The SV product sales growth coincides with the introduction of SV specialist centres in core markets and the expansion of dedicated SV areas at retailers, including the latest Munich-based Jaguar Land Rover Statement Site. Jaguar has already launched one hundred of these sites, with more in the pipeline.

The OEM said those dealers are qualified to meet the high standards that an SV's customer base expects and to deliver the excellent customer service that the brand is famous for, including requests for personalisation.

As Mark Turner, commercial director of JLR's Special Vehicle Operations, explained in a comment on the growth of SV operations: "We've focused on satisfying demand for existing SV vehicles, while simultaneously expanding into new sectors with models such as the Jaguar F-PACE SVR, which instantly became our second highest volume vehicle. Developing the SV presence in the global Jaguar Land Rover retail network and on social media, in conjunction with SV Bespoke, is also having a positive effect on our business."

The personalisation department, which includes paint colours tailored to a customer's specifications and a wide range of choice when it comes to interior and exterior trim, offers a unique experience for every customer. This has seen a twenty percent rise in commissions and premium paint palette finishes for a range of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.

In 2017, the design director of Land Rover, Gerry McGovern, told Autocar magazine that he intended to put all third-party tuners and vehicle stylists out of business by offering an in-house service that would go unrivalled. He was quoted as saying:

"It's easy to take a product that's already been created and put a little spoiler on it or whatever, but I'd like to see them design their own car. We see them taking our property and making a bit more profit

“Well, we're going to put them out of business through SVO. The opportunities we're creating there and the quality of our work are much better."