Britain’s largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), said on Tuesday it would extend the closure of its three domestic factories until October 1 following a cyberattack in early September that has paralyzed operations and disrupted smaller suppliers. The factories produce roughly 1,000 vehicles per day, and the shutdown is reportedly costing the company £50 million ($68 million) per week.
“We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation,” JLR said in a statement. The company did not provide details on who was behind the attack.
British business minister Peter Kyle and industry minister Chris McDonald visited JLR on Tuesday to discuss the impact of the shutdown. McDonald said, “We have two priorities – helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.” Kyle added that “getting JLR back online as soon as possible” was his top priority.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of global companies to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. It comes amid a broader trend of high-profile ransomware attacks in Europe and the UK, with sectors from healthcare to retail targeted. A recent survey by S&P Global indicated a downturn in UK manufacturing output, with some factories reporting disruptions linked to JLR’s shutdown.
JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, produces the Range Rover and Defender models, and its operations support roughly 104,000 jobs in domestic supply chains. The Unite trade union warned of potential job losses and called for government support to maintain company solvency. Reports also indicate that JLR was uninsured for the incident, having failed to finalize a cyber insurance deal brokered before the attack.