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17 April 2008
The Duke of York congratulates Jaguar Land Rover on their export success

His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, in his capacity as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, has commended Jaguar Land Rover on their impressive export record.

Together, Jaguar and Land Rover are believed to be the UK’s most valuable automotive export, shipping over £6billion worth of automotive product overseas each year.

The Duke of York commented: “I am delighted that Jaguar and Land Rover are experiencing such success overseas. Both brands represent the very best of British design, engineering and manufacturing and it is fantastic to see them performing so well on a global scale.

I am particularly impressed by Jaguar and Land Rover’s recent sales performance in key emerging markets such as Russia and China. The ability to capitalise on new areas of growth, whilst consolidating performance in traditional markets, is crucial if British brands are to thrive on a global scale”

Last year, Land Rover sales in Russia were up 95% on the previous year, whilst Jaguar increased sales by 22% In China, the combined brands sold 49% more vehicles in 2007 than 2006.

This year‘s first quarter results suggest global sales for both brands will stay strong throughout 2008. Across all markets, Land Rover sold almost 58,000 vehicles in the first quarter of this year – a company record.

The Duke viewed production of the Land Rover Freelander 2 and Jaguar X-TYPE during his visit to Halewood Operations on Merseyside. Both vehicles have played a crucial role in establishing the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in key new markets around the world.

The Halewood plant has recently launched several new products including the New Freelander 2 HST and Freelander Commercial derivatives as well as the Jaguar X-TYPE 2.2 Diesel Automatic.

During the visit, His Royal Highness took time to congratulate the Halewood workforce on their achievements, commenting “Those of us who drive your vehicles around the world are extremely proud of them. Today I have seen a unique and very impressive manufacturing plant…..and a workforce who are happy, committed and proud of what they do. You have achieved a great deal in the six years that I was last here and on that I congratulate you.”

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