Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc – Annual report – 31 March 2023
Industry: automotive
5 REVENUE
Revenue recognition
Revenue comprises the consideration earned by the Group in respect of the output of its ordinary activities. It is measured based on the contract price, which is the consideration specified in the contract with the customer and excludes amounts collected on behalf of third parties, and net of settlement discounts, bonuses, rebates and sales incentives. The Group’s primary clients from the sale of vehicles, parts and accessories are retailers, fleet and corporate clients, and other third-party distributors. The Group recognises revenue when it transfers control of a good or service to a customer, thus evidencing the satisfaction of the associated performance obligation under that contract.
As described in note 39, the Group operates with a single automotive reporting segment, principally generating revenue from the sales of vehicles, parts and accessories.
The sale of vehicles also can include additional services provided to the customer at the point of sale, for which the vehicle and services are accounted for as separate performance obligations, as they are considered separately identifiable. The contract transaction price is allocated among the identified performance obligations based on their stand-alone selling prices. Where the stand-alone selling price is not readily observable, it is estimated using an appropriate alternative approach.
Use of estimates and judgements (extract)
Judgements (extract)
Revenue recognition: The Group uses judgement to determine when control of its goods, primarily vehicles and parts, pass to the customer. This is assessed with reference to indicators of control, including the risks and rewards of ownership and legal title with reference to the underlying terms of the customer contract. Refer to note 5 for further information.
Estimates and assumptions (extract)
Significant estimates (extract)
The financial statements also include estimates that may materially affect carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the longer term. These are:
- Product warranties: refer to note 29 for further information.
- Depreciation (expected useful life): refer to note 19 for further information.
29 PROVISIONS (extracts)
A provision is recognised if, as a result of a past event, the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation that can be estimated reliably, and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. When the effect of the time value of money is material, provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows using a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the liability.
Product warranty provision
The Group provides product warranties on all new vehicle sales in respect of manufacturing defects, which become apparent in the stipulated policy period dependent on the market in which the vehicle purchase occurred. The estimated liability for product warranty is recognised when products are sold or when new warranty programmes are initiated.
Provisions are recognised for the costs of repairing manufacturing defects, recall campaigns, customer goodwill (representing the Group’s constructive obligation to its clients when managing those warranty claims) and the Group’s other obligations under the warranty.
Assumptions are made on the type and extent of future warranty claims based on experience of the frequency and extent of vehicle faults and defects historically. The estimates also include assumptions on the amounts of potential repair costs per vehicle and the effects of possible time or mileage limits and are regularly adjusted to reflect new information. The timing of outflows will vary as and when a warranty claim will arise.
The Group’s calculation methodology uses historical data corrected for experience as information becomes available as well as individual campaign assumptions (such as scope, uptake rates and repair costs). This can lead to changes in the carrying value of provisions as assumptions are updated over the life of each warranty; however there are no individual assumptions that can be reasonably expected to move over the next financial year to such a degree that it would result in a material adjustment to the warranty provision.
The discount on the warranty provision is calculated using a risk-free discount rate as the risks specific to the liability, such as inflation, are included in the base calculation.
The Group also has back-to-back contractual arrangements with its suppliers in the event that a vehicle fault is proven to be a supplier’s fault. Estimates are made of the expected reimbursement claims based upon historical levels of recoveries by supplier, adjusted for inflation and applied to the population of vehicles under warranty at the balance sheet date. Supplier reimbursement claims are presented as separate assets within “Other financial assets” in note 18. Supplier recoveries are recognised only when the Group considers there to be virtual certainty over the reimbursement, which also requires historical evidence to support.
The Group notes that changes in the automotive environment regarding the increasing impact of battery electric vehicles presents its own significant challenges, particularly due to the lack of maturity and historical data available at this time to help inform estimates for future warranty claims, as well as any associated recoveries from suppliers due to such claims. The Group offers warranties of up to eight years on batteries in electric vehicles. The related provisions are made with the Group’s best estimate at this time to settle such obligations in the future, but will be required to be continually refined as sufficient, real-world data becomes available.
Accounts examples 