Donald Trump has launched an attack on Jaguar Land Rover’s divisive rebranding strategy, just hours after Britain’s largest carmaker announced its new chief executive. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president claimed the company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, was “in absolute turmoil” and that its former CEO “resigned in disgrace”.
Trump described JLR’s recent advertising campaign – which featured a diverse group of models in brightly coloured clothing and was designed to launch the company’s rebrand – as a “stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement”. He questioned: “Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad?”
The comments came shortly after JLR announced that PB Balaji, group finance chief of Tata Motors since 2017, would become its new CEO in November, making him the carmaker’s first Indian head. He replaces Adrian Mardell, who is retiring after three years as CEO and 35 years with the company. Balaji said it was his “privilege” to lead JLR, while Mardell said he had “cemented JLR’s position in the automotive industry during a time of incredible change”.
JLR has faced a 15.1% drop in sales in the three months to June due to a temporary pause in exports to the US, partly linked to Trump’s tariffs. The company has also launched a voluntary redundancy scheme for up to 500 managers. Sales are expected to improve after a UK-US trade deal introduces lower 10% tariffs on the first 100,000 exports.
The company has delayed launches of its new electric Range Rover and electric Jaguar models for further testing and to allow demand to pick up. The electric Range Rover, made in Solihull, will now arrive in 2026 rather than late this year, while two Jaguar models have also been pushed back by several months.
JLR’s rebrand and advertising campaign, which did not feature a vehicle, drew over 160 million views on social media but sparked online backlash, including from US Republicans and rightwing commentators. Elon Musk posted: “Do you sell cars?” The carmaker’s managing director expressed disappointment at the “vile hatred and intolerance” directed at the models in the video.
