- Jaguar Land Rover is once again exporting vehicles to the US.
- The company paused activity when hit with a 25 percent tariff.
- A quarter of JLR sales happen in the US where it has no plant.
Jaguar Land Rover dealers in the US are heaving a sigh of relief this week after a month of uncertainty. The British automaker confirmed it was restarting its export program to America, having paused shipments in early April in the wake of President Trump’s announcement of tariffs on imported vehicles.
Trump hasn’t scrapped the tariff policy, which still hits JLR vehicles landing in US ports with a 25 percent levy. But the company can’t afford to miss out on the American market, where around a quarter of its 430,000 global sales are made, equivalent to over 100,000 cars per year.
Related: Audi Stops All US Vehicle Exports Over Tariffs
All of the imports are Land Rover models, since Jaguar has stopped making any cars as it transitions to an all-electric range, previewed by the Type 00 concept. The British company’s first shipment heading for the US in close to a month left port on Wednesday, The Times reported.
“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,” the company said in a statement almost five weeks ago. Now, as it begins once again waving off boatfuls of SUVs, it says it will give an update – presumably on what those plans might be – when it announces its full-year results later this month.
JLR wasn’t the only European automaker to pause shipments to the US. Aston Martin, Audi, Lotus and Audi also put a temporary hold on exports bound for America as they wrangled with the thorny issue of who was going to bear the brunt of the tariffs: them or the customer. Aston opted to split the check, but JLR, which also lacks a production facility in the US, hasn’t revealed how its prices might be affected.
Stockpiles and Dealer Tactics
The company has a stockpile of vehicles that arrived in the US before the tariffs were announced and therefore aren’t affected. And dealers are using the looming threat of price rises to push prospective buyers to take action and avoid regretting stalling later.
“This active tariff implementation within the automotive industry is highly likely to translate to increased prices for consumers in the near future,” reads a message on the website of Land Rover Thousand Oaks.
“To mitigate these impending price increases, now is a strategic time to consider your new vehicle purchase. By acting before the full impact of these tariffs is realized across the market, you may be able to secure your desired vehicle at a more favorable price point.”
