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Jaguar sales soar by 36pc driven by engines made at i54 plant

Sales of Jaguar cars continued to significantly outstrip the market in November, according to industry figures.

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The number of new Jaguars registered in Britain rose by 36 per cent last month with 2,905 driven out of showrooms across the nation.

It is another achievement for JLR, which makes engines at its massive new i54 factory on the border of Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that just over 32,000 Jaguar cars have now been purchased in the UK this year, 10,000 – or 47 per cent – more than at the same point in 2015.

Its stablemate Land Rover is also ahead for the year having sold 74,567 cars, 21 per cent more than the first 11 months of 2014, but its numbers fell by 19 per cent to 5,278 in November.

The figures for Jaguar are outstripping those of the wider car market which saw new car sales grow by just 2.9 per cent year-on-year in November.

The launch of the hugely popular F-Pace Jag has helped boost its performance.

The company now employs about 1,000 people at its i54 engine plant. Local councils are hoping the company will base its future electric cars programme at the site.

The JLR plant at the i54

Across the car industry as a whole, last month 184,101 new vehicles were registered in the UK. Growth was driven by the business and fleet sectors which saw rises of 24.3 and 5.1 per cent respectively.

Private registrations fell by 1.2 per cent.

More than 2.5 million cars have been registered in 2016 so far – up 2.5 per cent on the same period last year.

Registrations of alternatively fuelled vehicles increased by 25.1 per cent last month, with its market share rising from three to 3.6 per cent.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "Our industry continues to make vehicles that are ever safer, more refined, more efficient and more enjoyable to drive – and the latest advanced technology and cutting-edge designs are continuing to attract buyers.

"It's encouraging to see that alternatively fuelled vehicles, although still a small proportion of the market, have seen strong growth this month achieving a record market share.

Long-term government support and incentives are essential if these vehicles are to command a larger market share."

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