Tata to reassess Jaguar-Land Rover forecast as US tariffs fan uncertainty

India's Tata Motors said on Tuesday it was re-evaluating its annual profitability target for luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), joining carmakers worldwide that have flagged forecast uncertainty due to US tariff changes.

Imported cars have been a main focus of US President Donald Trump's global trade war. Trump last month imposed a 25% tariff on all foreign-made vehicles sold in the world's second-largest car market.

UK-based JLR, which counts the US as its fastest-growing market, met its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin target of 8.5% for the year ended March, but abstained from confirming its fiscal 2026 target of a 10% EBIT margin, announced in June.

“We are assessing our guidance in light of the recent UK-US trade deal announced on May 8 and will provide an update at our investor day on June 16,” said parent Tata Motors, which gets about two-thirds of its overall revenue from JLR.

The US and the UK signed a trade deal last week that allows the latter to export 100,000 cars a year under a 10% tariff, lower than the 25% levy for other nations.

Despite the deal, analysts expect JLR's North America sales to drop this fiscal year, with some noting that the top-selling “Defender” SUV, which is made in Slovakia, is not covered under the deal.

“We'll probably be able to see the implications of all those (tariffs) in the coming quarters,” Group CFO PB Balaji said in a media call.

Carmakers globally, including Mercedes-Benz, Fiat-owner Stellantis and Volvo, have either abstained from issuing forecasts or pulled their earnings forecasts. Still, JLR's sales volumes rose 1.1% in the January-March quarter, helped by strong demand for its SUVs in North America and Europe.

That helped Tata Motors' fourth-quarter profit of 84.70-billion rupees (R18.29bn) beat analysts' estimates of 74.58-billion rupees (R16.10bn), according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company's profit halved from the year-ago quarter, which included a one-time tax benefit.

Tata Motors' shares closed 1.8% lower ahead of the results.