Jonathan Reynolds said he will meet Jaguar Land Rover and Unite early next week after JLR opened a voluntary redundancy programme that could eliminate up to 4,000 jobs.
JLR has not confirmed the total, but said the plan targets salaried and management staff to simplify the business, improve efficiency and build resilience after tariffs and weaker sales hit the carmaker.
Reynolds ruled out a bailout, saying talks will focus on mitigating losses, though he left room for longer-term investment support and said ministers are reviewing EV sales rules to better match demand.
The cuts deepen pressure on a major West Midlands employer still recovering from a September 2025 cyber attack that halted production for weeks, cut output 27% and was estimated to cost £1.9 billion.