Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Tuesday announced a further extension of an ongoing production pause until next week as it continues to deal with the fallout of a cyber hack over two weeks ago.
The British luxury carmaker’s factories in Merseyside, north-west England, and Solihull in the West Midlands as well as facilities around the world, including India, Slovakia and China, remain at a standstill after an IT network shutdown. In a latest company update for its suppliers, JLR said its “forensic investigation” into the cyber-attack remains ongoing.
“Today we have informed colleagues, suppliers and partners that we have extended the current pause in our production until Wednesday 24th September 2025,” the JLR statement said.
“We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues, and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time. We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses,” it said.
According to industry insiders referenced by the BBC, the shutdown is believed to be costing the company around 50 million pounds a week in lost production as the marquee British brand would expect to build more than 1,000 cars a day under normal circumstances. There is growing concern among the small and medium-sized businesses that make up some of the supply chain for the UK's largest carmaker.
“I fully recognise the anxiety and deep concern that employees at Jaguar Land Rover and across the supply chain will be feeling. The government and the National Cyber Security Centre will do everything in our power to help resolve this as soon as possible,” Department for Business and Trade minister Chris Bryant told the House of Commons last week.
He described Jaguar Land Rover as an “iconic national brand” and a “very significant employer”, employing 34,000 people in the UK and 39,000 worldwide. Trade union workers have since appealed to the government to step in with financial support while the company and its supply chain cope with the extended production pause.
“Thousands of these workers in the JLR supply chain now find their jobs are under an immediate threat because of the cyber-attack,” said Sharon Graham, Unite union’s general secretary.
“Ministers need to act fast and introduce a furlough scheme to ensure that vital jobs and skills are not lost while JLR and its supply chain get back on their feet,” she said.
A group calling itself Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters is believed to have claimed responsibility for the hack. It was also behind a number of high-profile attacks on UK retailers this year, including Marks & Spencer and Co-op.
