UK Motoring is hitting its 73rd year anniversary as it faces the JLR Cyber Attack
British car sales have plunged to their lowest level in decades after a cyber attack disrupted Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) lines in the states for more than a month.
According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), total UK car production fell by 35.9 percent in September, falling to 54,319 units. Car Production Only fell 27.1 percent to 51,090 percent, with the industry body blaming the sharp decline almost immediately on the shutdown of jlr.
SMMT described this phenomenon as “unremarkable”, noting that other major producers reported growth during the same period.
JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, released on August 31 when hackers installed their internal systems. The breach forced the company to halt operations at plants including Sihuull in the West Midlands and Halsewood on Merseyside.
Thousands of workers were temporarily sent home as the company scrambled to contain the attack, while British suppliers faced weeks of disruption. Production has now begun on a limited basis, but traders say full capacity is unlikely to return until January 2026.
The Cyber Monitoring Center estimates that the attack could cost Britain around £2 billion, making it the costliest cyber incident in UK history. Analysts at S & P Global warned that JLR’s revenue could fall 18 percent this year, with nearly 50,000 vehicles lost and overall sales now ahead of expectations.
The fall in jlr output comes on the back of widespread uncertainty in the auto sector. UK Car Production for the year to date is up 15.2 percent to 582,250 units, highlighting sustained units from the transition to electric vehicles, input costs and input and capital purchases.
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of Smmt, said the September data “given the total loss of production at Britain’s largest automotive employer following a cyber incident”. He urged the government to maintain tax incentives and incentive programs that encourage businesses to provide new cars to employees.
“The industry needs stability and support,” Lube said. “Removing these employees now would cause significant and lasting harm to jobs and competition.”
The JLR attack has also fueled debate about Britain’s preparedness for industrial cyber threats. Experts have warned that as factories become increasingly digitized and connected, the risk of major disruptions is growing unhealthily.
With JLR still recovering and the wider sector facing a weak transition to energy, industry leaders are calling for a more systematic approach to cyber security in Britain.
