Britain’s Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has decided to deal with President Donald Trump’s tariffs by pausing shipments of its cars made in Britain to the United States.
“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,” Reuters reported on Saturday, citing a statement issued by the automaker.
The Associated Press (AP) spoke to an analyst on Saturday who predicted that other British carmakers would follow suit.
“I expect similar stoppages from other producers as firms take stock of what is unfolding,” David Bailey, described by the AP as an “automotive industry expert” and professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, told the wire service.
Per the Reuters article:
Britain’s car industry, which employs 200,000 people directly, is highly exposed to the new tariffs. The United States is the second-biggest importer of British-made cars after the European Union, with nearly a 20% share, data from industry body SMMT shows.
Jaguar Land Rover, one of Britain’s biggest producers by volume, said in its statement that the U.S. was an important market for its luxury brands. It sells 400,000 Range Rover Sports, Defenders and other models annually and exports to the U.S. account for almost a quarter of sales.
Trump announced this week that foreign countries would be slapped with reciprocal tariffs and that there would be a 25 percent tariff imposed on foreign-made vehicles, Breitbart News reported on Wednesday.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2025
“Wednesday is President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day‘ to remake the United States’ trade relationships with the world, and while blocs like the European Union and nations like Canada are in panic mode, the United Kingdom is emphasising calm, working with Trump, and seeking a deal,” Breitbart’s London Bureau observed.
"My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to Make America Wealthy Again." –President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/DrjnwK5Lwi
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 3, 2025
JLR has a few months’ supply of vehicles currently in the United States that will not be subject to the recently announced tariffs, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, China said Friday that it will impose a 34 percent tariff on U.S. goods in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs, per Breitbart News. “President Trump dismissed China’s retaliatory actions on Friday, saying Beijing ‘played it wrong’ and ‘panicked’ after his tariff announcement. Trump said panicking was ‘the one thing they cannot afford to do.'”
