Jaguar Land Rover is halting its shipments to the US for four weeks in response to President Donald Trump's 25% levy on vehicle imports.
The carmaker has taken this decision following last week’s announcement of a swathe of global trade tariffs. With all UK goods receiving a blanket 10%, industries such as steel and aluminum and, as of last week, automotive have been hit with 25% tariffs.
In a statement on Saturday, a Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) spokesperson said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.
“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid to longer-term plans.”
Reports are suggesting that JLR, one of Britain’s biggest car manufacturers, has a couple of months’ supply of cars already in the US, which have not been subject to the new levies.
The US market has been big for the Coventry-based company, with about 38,000 cars exported to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.
JLR’s key manufacturing plants in the UK are based in Solihull and Halewood and employ more than 9,000 and 3,500 people respectively. Not to mention its UK automotive suppliers, that will also be impacted by this news.
One of those companies is ZF Chassis Modules (Solihull). Plant Director, Adrian Chell, spoke to The Manufacturer last week stating that: “Over 30% of premium cars made in the UK are exported to the US, so this could have a huge impact if car buyers change their behaviour as a result of these tariffs.”
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