JLR China sales surge in May

The latest data from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed the company is up 23 percent year-on-year in car sales, selling 11,451 vehicles in China during May. The British premium carmaker has had a monthly sales growth for the past 17 months in its largest market worldwide.

JLR in China sold a total of 3,396 vehicles last month, up 179 percent year-on-year. A total of 8,055 Land Rover SUVs were also sold in May, as the all-new Discovery hit the dealerships nationwide, according to the company.

JLR's China sales in the first five months further totaled 55,099 units, which was nearly 20 percent higher than the same time last year.

Frank Wittemann, JLR's sales chief in China, said the carmaker was confident in an even stronger performance in coming months as the new SUV Range Rover Velar was expected to hit the market later this year.

Andy Goss, JLR's sales operations director, said the sales rise in China and North America contributed to another strong month for the automaker globally.

JLR's global sales reached 45,487 in May, and in the first five months of 2017, the automaker sold 265,381 vehicles, sporting an 8 percent increase year-on-year.