A few weeks ago, in early April, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it would halt U.S. imports as President Trump’s auto tariffs took hold. The automaker has now reversed that decision, though its only imports will come from the Land Rover brand for the foreseeable future.
In a statement, the company announced the decision to stop shipments several weeks ago: “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.” To be clear, nothing has changed about Trump’s trade policy, which will add 25 percent to every JLR vehicle reaching the United States. The automaker’s reason for returning in spite of the tariffs is that the U.S. comprises about a quarter of its overall sales. Land Rover alone sold almost 100,000 vehicles here last year.
Jaguar isn’t making any new vehicles right now, simplifying its decision, but it will eventually offer a new line of electric models that will face the same challenges at U.S. ports. Other automakers paused shipments in similar decisions, including Aston Martin and Audi, with the former company saying it would share some of the extra costs with buyers. We don’t yet know how JLR plans to handle the charges.
[Images: Land Rover]
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