Jaguar Land Rover reports boost in year to date plug-in hybrid sales

Midlands vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has reported "growing demand" for plug in electric vehicles in its latest sales figures.

The firm, whose Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre employs over a thousand staff near Wolverhampton, says global sales for its plug in hybrid(PHEV) electric vehicle range are up 29 per cent during the first half of the new financial year as customers get ready to switch over to fully electric vehicles.

For the Range Rover brand, global PHEV retail sales were up 47% in the first half of this financial year, while plug‑in electric hybrid Defender global retail sales were up 23% compared to the previous financial year.

The UK Government is due to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035, and JLR says it currently has over 48,000 clients on the waiting list for Range Rover Electric, which is the first in a line‑up of zero emissions luxury electric vehicles from its brands.

"Demand is growing for our plug‑in electric hybrid models as customers become more accustomed to electrification," said  Mark Camilleri, Director of Electrification Services at JLR.

"PHEVs offer performance, fuel economy and low emissions, with zero emissions while driving in pure electric mode. They also give clients the opportunity to adapt to a new ownership experience, including home and public charging, ahead of the launch of our next generation fully electric vehicles.

"JLR is able to offer a range of fuel options to meet the energy transition dynamics of each market, and we will offer a pure electric variant of each nameplate by 2030 with the aim of reaching carbon net zero by 2039." 

In 2023, JLR announced a £15billion electrification initiative which saw the Wolverhampton Engine Manufacturing centre at i54 renamed to the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre, set to produce electric drive units and battery packs for JLR’s next generation vehicles.