By JOSE RAMOS
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced it is set to axe 500 jobs from its UK operations.
The car maker said 500 managerial jobs would be cut, saying it would offer voluntary redundancies.
It insists the job losses will not go over 1.5 per cent of its British workforce, describing the move as 'normal business practice' in a statement.
The car giant previously warned that tariffs on British made motors being sold to the US would have a direct hit on its profits.
This comes after its Jaguar brand has faced months of widespread criticism over its controversial electric rebrand, which was dubbed by many as 'woke' when it was revealed last year.
JLR sales have slid sharply over the past three months after a temporary pause in exports to the US and a pause in production of all Jaguar models for a year.
The car maker said on Thursday that 500 managerial jobs would be cut, saying it would offer voluntary redundancies
The British car maker has been in the limelight in the last 12 months having relaunched Jaguar as an all-electric brand with a controversial advertising campaign some have dubbed 'woke'. It also debuted the polarising Type 00 concept car (pictured) signalling its new design direction
It's electric rebrand includes this new Jaguar logo - a roundel made up of the letter 'J' that looks the same both ways up. It replaces the classis roaring cat emblem
The Tata-owned car maker revealed that retail sales slid by 15.1 per cent to 94,420 units over the three months to June. Meanwhile, wholesale sales dropped by 10.7 per cent to 87,286 units compared with a year earlier.
The company said the significant fall in sales was partly driven by the pause in shipments to the US in April after President Trump's administration introduced new tariff plans.
A spokeswoman said: 'JLR regularly offers eligible employees voluntary redundancy programmes.
'Through this limited UK voluntary redundancy programme for managers, JLR is aligning its leadership workforce for the business's current and future needs.
'We are grateful to the Government for delivering at speed the new UK-US trade deal, which gives us the confidence to invest £3.5billion per annum to realise our strategy which is delivering.'
Last year, the Jaguar arm of the business controversially accelerated its plans to shift to electric vehicles.
This included a new advertisement featuring brightly dressed models but no cars. The group also abandoned its iconic 'growler' cat badge, replacing it with a curved geometric J and L symbol.
Jag's rebranding effort was three years in the making, as the iconic British automaker accelerates its transition to becoming an all-electric brand ahead of the UK's 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles.
Launched under the tagline 'Copy Nothing', a nod to the philosophy of company founder Sir William Lyons, it featured a striking new ad with diverse models in vibrant, futuristic attire traversing an otherworldly landscape.
Critics accused the company of watering down its famously fierce image - ditching the snarling big cat logo in favour of a 'friendlier' typeface that's left purists fuming.
The ad also focused on diversity, with androgynous models in extravagant clothing accused of straying too far from the brand's traditional image.
Amid ongoing backlash over the dramatic shift, Jaguar's sales in Europe have nosedived, dropping a staggering 97.5 per cent as the company navigates one of the most ambitious transformations in its history.
According to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (AECA), the company registered just 49 new vehicles in April 2025 compared to 1,961 units sold in the same month last year.
The British car marque has insisted the reason for the freefall in sales is not because of a lack of support or an image overhaul, but because it suspended production of all cars in November as part of a 12-month 'fire break' period for dealers and customers to prepare for its electric rebrand.
Defending the news, the firm said it was 'pointless' to compare figures for 2024 and 2025, as 'Jaguar is not currently on sale in the UK' while it goes through its 'sunset period' of radical change.
The controversial advert to launch the rebrand features boldly dressed fashion models in bright primary colours alongside slogans such as 'break moulds' and 'create exuberant'
A still from Jaguar's 'copy nothing' rebrand advert - which was criticised for featuring no cars
The classic Jaguar 'growler' logo has been ditched as the car firm reinvents itself to appeal to a younger audience of car buyers
Billionaire Space X owner Musk turned the knife on X, simply asking Jaguar: 'Do you sell cars?'
But Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover fired back at what he called 'vile hatred and intolerance'.
Mr Glover, head of the Indian-owned marque, denied accusations that Jaguar was abandoning its proud near-century-long heritage. Instead, he insisted the bold new direction was about ditching 'traditional automotive stereotypes' to carve out a fresh identity in an evolving market.
'The overall reaction has been very positive,' he said, 'but I've been disappointed by the level of vile hatred and intolerance directed at the people in the ad.'
'If we play the same game as everyone else, we'll just get drowned out,' Glover added. 'We shouldn't show up like a typical auto brand. We need to re-establish Jaguar at a completely different price point—and that means doing things differently.'
Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover, pictured, last year fired back at what he called 'vile hatred and intolerance' aimed at the company's rebrand advert
The brand previously sounded the alarm over Donald Trump's punishing new tariffs warning the move will take a hefty bite out of profits.
The UK's biggest car maker slashed its annual profit forecast in June, telling investors it expected margins to drop to between five and seven per cent - a sharp fall from last year's 8.5 per cent, and well below the 10.7 per cent it posted in the first quarter.
The slump comes after JLR was forced to halt all US shipments for a month starting in April, following Trump's decision to slap a 25 per cent import tax on foreign-built cars.
In a reprieve, the UK signed a trade deal in May, which allows it to export 100,000 cars a year to the US under a 10 per cent tariff. JLR restarted deliveries across the Atlantic shortly after.
Although JLR produces its Range Rover cars in Britain, its popular Defender SUV is made in Slovakia, which is still subject to heavier tariffs.
A government spokesperson said: 'We are taking significant action to back British carmakers and protect jobs as we deliver on the Plan for Change.
'We have set out our ambitions for the automotive sector in our Industrial Strategy, announced £2.5bn over the next decade through our DRIVE35 programme which will support manufacturers in the switch to electric vehicles and gave them more flexibility in the ZEV mandate to do so, as well as providing demand incentives through the Electric Car Grant announced last week.
'We have also secured landmark trade deals with the US and India which will cut tariffs and create new export opportunities.
'We recognise the vital importance of JLR to the UK automotive sector and to West Midlands and North West, and the global challenges car manufacturers face.
'This is a commercial decision for the company, but we are working closely with JLR and other employers throughout the sector to ensure the UK remains a top destination for investment in automotive manufacturing.'
