"2012 has been a strong year for Jaguar Land Rover with record breaking sales performance globally. All of our key markets saw strong progress, with demand for our premium vehicles setting new records in a very competitive environment,” said Phil Popham, Jaguar Land Rover's director of group sales operations, from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show. "Looking ahead to 2013, we are continuing to invest in our business to support our ambitious plans for growth and we will be introducing eight new or refreshed products throughout the year."

Jaguar Land Rover also confirmed it will create up to 800 new jobs at its advanced manufacturing facility in Solihull, UK, to support its growth.

The Land Rover showed a strong performance in its 177 markets, as retail sales increased by 36 percent globally. Sixty-five percent of the Land Rover sales occurred in the brand's top five markets: China, the UK, the U.S., Russia, and Italy.

The Range Rover Evoque sold 108,598 units, which is more vehicles in its first full year than any other Land Rover model. The Land Rover Discovery 4/LR4 and the Range Rover Sport showed increases of three percent and four percent, respectively.

"2012 was an excellent year for Land Rover; we delivered a powerful global performance throughout the year across all markets, with the highlight being that we have sold more vehicles this year than ever before in our 65 year history,” said John Edwards, global brand manager. “Our updated model line-up and the debut of the new Range Rover have created a real buzz around the brand with customers clearly delighted with our offerings."

Sales of Jaguars sales were up six percent in 2012. The launch of the XF 2.2 Diesel, the XF and the XJ expanded the brand's portfolio and geographic reach. The brand's top five markets were the UK, the U.S., China, Germany and Russia, making up 71 percent of total sales for the year.

"This year saw the completion of a revitalized Jaguar line-up,” said Adrian Hallmark, global brand director. “We now have a very strong desirable range of products, which are clearly capturing the public's imagination. We plan to continue growing in 2013 with the stunning new F-Type."