Cyber-Attack Cripples Jaguar Land Rover Production at UK Plants

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has suffered a major cyber-attack that has brought its vehicle production to a standstill, severely disrupting operations at its two main UK factories and retail business.

The attack, which began on Sunday, comes at a critical period for the luxury carmaker as a new batch of registration plates was released on Monday, September 1 — typically a busy time for car deliveries. The company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, said there is no evidence customer data has been stolen, but production and retail systems have been “severely disrupted.”

Production Halts in Halewood and Solihull

Workers at JLR’s Halewood plant in Merseyside were instructed via email on Monday morning to stay home, while others already on-site were sent home, according to reports from the Liverpool Echo. The disruption has also affected the company’s Solihull facility, with employees there similarly told to leave.

The BBC understands that JLR’s internal IT team detected the attack while it was still underway and immediately shut down systems to limit damage.

In a statement, JLR said:
“We took immediate action to mitigate its impact by proactively shutting down our systems. We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner.”

The company did not directly label the incident a cyber-attack, but a separate filing by Tata Motors to the Bombay Stock Exchange referred to an “IT security incident” causing global operational issues.

Possible Ransom Motive

While investigators have not identified who is behind the breach, the incident follows a series of high-profile cyber-attacks on UK companies, including Marks & Spencer and the Co-op, where hackers demanded ransom payments.

The UK’s National Crime Agency confirmed it is working with partners to assess the scale and impact of the attack.
“We are aware of an incident impacting Jaguar Land Rover and are working with partners to better understand its impact,” the agency said in a statement.

Impact on Business and Recent Challenges

The timing of the disruption is particularly damaging for JLR, as September is a peak sales month. Customers awaiting new vehicles could face delays, although the company stressed there was no current evidence of data theft involving customer information.

Last year, JLR announced a five-year, £800 million partnership with Tata Consultancy Services aimed at accelerating its digital transformation and strengthening cybersecurity. Despite these measures, the company now faces significant setbacks.

The production halt comes on the heels of financial difficulties. JLR recently reported a drop in profits, blaming rising costs linked to U.S. tariffs.

The company has not provided a timeline for when operations will fully resume but said it is working “at pace” to restore its systems and minimise further disruption.