Jaguar Land Rover to slash 500 UK jobs months after controversial 'woke' rebrand

The jobs, which will be cut through offered voluntary redundancies, will not exceed 1.5 per cent of its British workforce.

In a statement, Jaguar Land Rover said the decision to cut jobs was part of a "normal business practice".

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

"JLR regularly offers eligible employees voluntary redundancy programmes. Through this limited UK VR programme for managers, JLR is aligning its leadership workforce for the business’s current and future needs.

"We are grateful to the Government for delivering at speed the new UK-US trade deal, which gives us the confidence to invest £3.5bn per annum to realise our strategy which is delivering."

The Tata-owned company has been hit particularly hard by President Donald Trump's tariffs on the import of foreign-made cars and vehicle parts.

Reports last week stated that JLR's retail sales dropped 15.1 per cent in the three months to June after a temporary pause in exports to the US.

READ MORE: Nigel Farage issues seven-word verdict as Jaguar searches for new advertising agency after 'woke' rebrand

It also coincides with the brand winding down the release of older models as it moves forward with its new design strategy.

The decision to axe hundreds of jobs comes just months after a controversial rebrand, which was met with near-universal condemnation for going away from its classic image.

The rebrand, which was complete with quirky ads featuring models in bold outfits and no cars, also saw JLR abandon its iconic "growler" cat badge.

At a glitzy event at Miami Art Week last November, the Type 00 concept car was unveiled in two eye-catching colours -Miami Pink and London Blue.

Jaguar is committed to accelerating into the future with electric vehicles, having only developed a dedicated electric platform, capable of providing the Type 00 an impressive 478-mile range and rapid charging capabilities.

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While the departure from the classic Jaguar logo and branding was met with praise for developing the brand's image around the world, it was also viewed as a controversial U-turn from what made it successful.

Leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, said the rebrand was "woke" and warned that the historic British manufacturer would "go bust" for its choice.

In response to news that Jaguar had ditched its advertising agency, the MP for Clacton later posted on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "I did try to warn you Jaguar."

Rawdon Glover, managing director of JLR, said the response to the rebrand was "vile", but added that the manufacturer was happy with the direction it was taking and would be relaunching as an electric-only brand from 2026 onwards.

The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that Jaguar has sold 1,725 vehicles in the first six months of the year, representing 0.17 per cent of the market.

This is a staggering 83.7 per cent drop compared to the same time last year, when it sold 10,626 vehicles.

Jaguar said this was a result of it changing its strategy and selling through stock before launching new electric cars in the coming years.

Land Rover continues to dominate its portion of the market, with 35,247 new car registrations this year, an impressive 7.3 per cent jump compared to 12 months ago.