British car production has fallen to its lowest level in more than seven decades after a devastating cyberattack shut down Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) assembly lines for more than a month.
According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), total British vehicle production fell by 35.9 percent in September, falling to just 54,319 units. Automobile production alone fell by 27.1 percent to 51,090, with the industry association attributing the sharp decline almost entirely to the extended closure of JLR.
The SMMT described the incident as “unprecedented” and noted that other major manufacturers had reported growth over the same period.
JLR, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Motors, halted production on August 31 when hackers breached its internal systems. The breach forced the company to suspend operations at plants including Solihull in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside.
Thousands of employees were temporarily sent home as the company struggled to contain the attack, while suppliers across the UK also faced weeks of disruption. Production has now started again on a limited scale, but insiders assume that full capacity will probably not be reached again until January 2026.
The Cyber Monitoring Center estimates the attack could cost the UK almost £2 billion, making it the costliest cyber incident in UK history. Analysts at S&P Global warned that JLR’s revenue could fall by up to 18 percent this year, with around 50,000 vehicles lost and total sales now expected to be £24 billion – £3 billion less than previously expected.
The slump in JLR production comes amid greater uncertainty in the automotive sector. UK car production has fallen 15.2 percent year to date to 582,250 units, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by the shift to electric vehicles, rising input costs and supply chain fragility.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the September data was “no surprise given the complete loss of production at Britain’s largest car employer following a cyber incident”. He called on the government to maintain tax incentives and fleet benefit schemes that encourage companies to offer new cars to their employees.
“The industry needs stability and support,” Hawes said. “Removing these incentives now would cause serious and lasting damage to jobs and competitiveness.”
The attack on JLR has reignited debate about the UK’s preparedness for industrial cyber threats. Experts warn that as factories become increasingly digital and connected, the risk of large-scale disruptions increases exponentially.
With JLR still recovering and the wider sector facing a fragile transition to electric powertrains, industry leaders are calling for a coordinated approach to strengthening cybersecurity across the UK manufacturing base.
