Land Rover Australia Records Annual Sales Boost In 2008

CHATSWOOD, Australia - With a total of 4,320 retails in 2008, Land Rover achieved its third consecutive year of growth in Australia. In fact, Land Rover was one of the few automotive brands to actually better its 2007 retail result, with a 16.5% increase over the previous year. Land Rover's performance can be contributed to the continued success of the Discovery 3, still our best selling model in Australia, even after 5 years in the marketplace.

During 2008 the Discovery 3 added to its already impressive list of over 108 awards worldwide, including 16 Down under, winning the prestigious Australia's Best Cars 'All Terrain 4WD of the Year' Award for an unprecedented fourth year in succession. In addition, the Discovery 3 also took out the Carsales Network People's Choice Awards for the 'Best Luxury 4WD' and Overlander Magazine Award for the 'Best 4WD' for 2008.

The Defender 110 and Freelander 2 continued to make inroads into the highly competitive SUV segments with increases of 193% and 83.2% respectively over the previous year. While at the top end of the market the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Vogue continued their reign as the ultimate status SUVs, the highly refined and frugal TDV8 diesel engine proving to be a popular choice with customers.

General Manger, Roger Jory, said "It's a testament to Land Rover's excellent product that the company was able to record such a strong sales result in 2008, especially in the face of the current global economic situation.

Looking forward to 2009, with such a dedicated dealer network and exceptional product lineup, Land Rover is in a great position to minimise the impact of this economic uncertainty and continue to thrive in the Australian market."