JLR axes 500 jobs after sales slump

Up to 500 management positions at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will be axed across the UK as part of a voluntary redundancy programme.

Following falling sales and recent trade tensions resulting in tariffs, the Tata-owned business confirmed that around 1.5% of its UK workforce will be affected by the move, which targets managerial roles through a limited redundancy scheme.

A JLR spokesperson said: “As part of normal business practice, we regularly offer eligible employees the opportunity to leave JLR through limited voluntary redundancy programmes.”

The decision follows a sharp decline in Q2 retail sales, with figures down 15.1% for the three months to the end of June.

The drop was largely attributed to a temporary halt in exports to the United States and the phased discontinuation of older Jaguar models.

Exports to the US were disrupted in April after the US Government, under President Donald Trump’s administration, announced a new 25% tariff on imported vehicles.

Although a new agreement between the US and UK has since reduced that tariff to 10% for the first 100,000 UK-built vehicles shipped annually, the initial disruption has already impacted JLR’s quarterly performance.

The news comes after JLR posted postive full-year figures in May, announcing that it had logged over 61,000 customers on its waiting list for the Range Rover Electric. 

In addition, the car marker said the reimagined electric Jaguar GT, which is expected to be priced at around £100,000 and which featured in a divisive marketing campaign to lead the relaunch of the Jaguar brand, had seen over 32,000 expressions of interest globally following its teaser tour across Europe and Asia.