Carmakers rebound as chip drought eases

STORY: Carmakers are putting a tough couple of years behind them.

On Friday (July 7), Jaguar Land Rover said wholesale volumes jumped 30% on the year over the April-to-June period.

Sales were up even more in China, its biggest market.

The firm cited strong demand for models including its Range Rover SUVs.

Its sales were up 199% over the quarter.

The upturn came as a global chip shortage eased off.

Constraints on the supply of other parts also fell away.

The British brand now forecasts free cash flow of over $500 million for the quarter.

That’s all good news for Indian parent firm Tata Motors, which is back in the black partly thanks to the recovery at JLR.

Its shares closed the day almost 3% higher.

There were upbeat figures from BMW on Friday too.

The German giant said sales grew more than 11% over the second quarter.

Including its Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, the group sold 1.21 million cars over January to June.