Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it will be axing 500 jobs from its UK operations just months after it unveiled a controversial new brand design.

In a statement on Thursday morning, the manufacturer said it would be slashing 500 managerial jobs.

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

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."

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.

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

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Jaguar Land Rover was particularly impacted by US President Donald Trump's auto tariffs

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."

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The new Jaguar Type 00 is expected to be released in 2026