Jaguar , with more than 65,000 vehicles sold last year, is one of few automakers to have reported an overall increase in 2008 global sales. Buoyed by the Jaguar XF sedan and rapid growth in emerging markets like Russia, China and the Middle East, the British automaker owned by Indian giant Tata posted an 8 percent sales increase over the previous year.
According to a Jaguar news release, sales were up more than 50 percent in Russia, 35 percent in the Middle East and 25 percent in China. Jaguar sells cars in 60 countries.
Only a handful of auto manufacturers are expected to report year-on-year sales increases, making Jaguar ’s achievement rather remarkable. Ford Motor Company sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata in mid-2008 in a bid to raise capital for the Michigan automaker.
