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Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Says It Will Pause Car Shipments To U.S. For Month Of April
MARKET REPORT
The maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars is pausing all car shipments for the month of April to the U.S. as Britain’s struggling auto industry begins to respond to the 25 percent tax on vehicle imports imposed by President Donald Trump, according to AP reports.
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive, one of Britain’s biggest carmakers, said Saturday the pause would take place this month. The fallout comes in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs across the global auto industry.
“The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands,” the company said in a statement. “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 British luxury carmaker, owned by India’s Tata Motors (TATAMOTORS), said in a statement it is “enacting short-term actions including a shipment pause,” while reviewing its longer-term strategy.
The upheaval raises uncertainty about the automaker whose corporate headquarters is in Mahwah, New Jersey. A new Jaguar/Land Rover car dealership is under construction on Route 59 in West Nyack. Other local dealerships are in White Plains, New Rochelle, and Paramus, NJ.
Analysts said they expect other British carmakers to follow suit as the increased tariffs further squeeze an industry that is grappling with declining demand at home and the need to retool their plants for the transition to electric vehicles.
“I expect similar stoppages from other producers as firms take stock of what is unfolding,” said David Bailey, an automotive industry expert and professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham.
The United States is the second-biggest importer of British-made cars after the European Union, with nearly a 20 percent share, based on data from the UK industry group Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The U.S. was one of Jaguar Land Rover’s only growth markets last year and accounts for more than a quarter of its global sales of Range Rover Sports, Defenders and other models. Shipments are expected to resume within two months, and the company estimated that its current U.S. inventory levels should be enough to support 60 days’ worth of supply.
Last February, CARS DB4, a limited partnership based in McLean, Virginia, closed on two parcels at 236 and 250 West Route 59 in West Nyack. CARS DB4 is an investor in real estate that is net leased to franchised automobile dealerships across the United States and Canada.
The acquisition price on the 3.4 acres site was $10.75 million. Financing in the amount of $3.3 million was provided by Citibank. The property is zoned RS (Regional Shopping) which permits motor vehicle dealerships and related uses.
In 2018, Jaguar Land Rover North America opened a state‑of‑the‑art North American Headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey on a 12-acre campus.
At its debut, the company was coming off a consecutive record‑setting year in 2017, with sales reaching an all‑time annual record for the two brands combined, up 9 percent to 128,098 units in North America. The 144,000 square-foot facility in Mahwah represented an over $30 million investment by Jaguar Land Rover. It includes a showroom with the latest Jaguar and Land Rover models, as well as a 30,000 square feet of product research, training and a development center.
Jaguar Land Rover North America has nearly 400 employees based in Mahwah, NJ and an additional 40 employees based in Mississauga, Canada. The company has a total of 232 retail facilities across North America.
At the time, the company’s CEO said: “The opening of our new headquarters in New Jersey ushers in a new era for Jaguar Land Rover in North America in which we will have growing sales, expanded model lineups, and breakthrough technology,” said Joe Eberhardt, President & CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “We now have an office complex that aligns with our newest retail facilities and gives our employees an efficient and inspiring work environment. Finally, we are very pleased to continue to call New Jersey home and thank the town and state for their support.”
The growth was marked by the addition of the Jaguar E‑PACE compact performance SUV to the ‘PACE’ family of Jaguar SUVs, as well as the addition of the fourth member of the Range Rover family, the Range Rover Velar. The Jaguar brand was then recognized as one of the fastest growing premium brands in the U.S. market, but more recently sales have declined significantly, cut nearly in half in the last two years. In 2022, Jaguar sold 61,661 cars, but units fell to 33,320 in 2024.
RCBJ reached out to comment from Jaguar/Land Rover but did not receive a response.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world unless countries even out their trade with the U.S., digging in on his plans to implement the tariffs that have sent financial markets reeling, raised fears of a recession and upended the global trading system, according to reports.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he didn’t want global markets to fall, but also that he wasn’t concerned about the massive sell-off either, adding, “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”
His comments came as global financial markets appeared on track to continue sharp declines once trading resumes Monday, and after Trump’s aides sought to soothe market concerns by saying more than 50 nations had reached out about launching negotiations to lift the tariffs.
Also in response to the tariffs, Nissan Motors will stop accepting new orders from the U.S. for the Infiniti QX50 and QX55 SUVs. Both models are assembled in Mexico.
The new tariffs are expected to drive up prices across the market. Vehicles priced under $30,000, which represent a significant share of U.S. vehicle sales, will be especially impacted. Popular models, such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Chevrolet Trax, will likely see higher costs. Cox Automotive, a publisher of pricing data, anticipates vehicle prices could rise by 10-15%.
The Jaguar/Land Rover motor vehicle dealership and service facility in West Nyack is slated to be a 31,300 square foot building, which will include 16,000 square feet of showroom display area, customer lounge and amenity spaces, and associated offices and administrative functions related to vehicle sales, and 15,300 square feet of service department, wash and detail bays, parts storage, and associated storage, utility, and technician support spaces. The project includes 150 parking spaces.
Featured Image: Rendering Of West Nyack Dealership Under Construction
