Cyber-attack halts Jaguar Land Rover production despite £800m digital overhaul
Jaguar Land Rover halted UK production after a cyber-attack disrupted systems. Retail operations were hit, but no customer data stolen. The breach highlights rising cyber risks despite JLR’s £800m TCS cybersecurity partnership.
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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK’s largest carmaker owned by Tata Motors, has been forced to suspend production at its two main UK plants after a cyber-attack severely disrupted operations, in what industry experts see as a stark reminder of the rising cyber risks facing advanced manufacturing.
BBC reported, the incident, detected on Sunday, struck just as the UK’s new vehicle registration plates were released on September 1, typically a peak sales period.
JLR said it proactively shut down IT systems to contain the breach, with operations at its Halewood plant in Merseyside and Solihull facility suspended, leaving workers sent home or told not to report. Retail operations were also hit, though the company stressed there is no evidence of customer data theft.
In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, parent Tata Motors described the disruption as a “global IT security incident.” The UK’s National Crime Agency confirmed it was investigating the matter alongside other partners.
The timing is particularly striking. In 2023, JLR signed a five-year, £800 million partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to strengthen cybersecurity and accelerate its digital transformation agenda. The current breach underscores the scale of the threat despite such large-scale investments.
For JLR, already battling profit pressures from rising costs and US tariffs, the cyber-attack marks another setback in its turnaround efforts. The company said it is “working at pace to restart global applications in a controlled manner”, but has not disclosed when production will resume.
