Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the largest car manufacturer in Britain, achieved record global sales in 2013, the Indian-owned luxury carmaker said yesterday.

JLR said it sold 425,006 vehicles in 2013 - up 19 per cent on 2012 - setting new sales records in 38 international markets, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Land Rover four-wheel-drive vehicles notched up 348,338 sales in 2013, a rise of 15 per cent.

Meanwhile, international sales of the luxury Jaguar increased by 42 per cent to 76,668 over the last 12 months.

JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, claimed Jaguar was the fastest-growing brand in the US, Germany and India.

Sales rose by 30 per cent in the Asia-Pacific and China region; 21 per cent in North America; 14 per cent in Britain; 6 per cent in the rest of Europe and 23 per cent in other markets outside Britain.

"2013 has proven to be a very positive year for JLR thanks to continuing strong demand for vehicles across the range," said chief executive Ralf Speth.

"Our unrelenting focus on design, technology, innovation and quality has seen JLR reach global consumers in more markets than ever before thanks to its most desirable product line-up."

Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor in 2008 for $2.3 billion as part of plans to expand its reach beyond Asia. - TradeArabia News Service