UK car production down 27% as Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack disrupts output

By Jamie Nimmo

 

The cyberattack that crippled Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc caused British car production to plunge 27 per cent last month, piling more pressure on the country’s beleaguered industry. 

Auto output fell to 51,090 units in September, according to data released Friday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders. The total decline, including commercial vehicles, was even more drastic at 36 per cent, after Stellantis NV shuttered its Vauxhall van plant in Luton earlier this year.

 

JLR is slowly resuming operations after the cyberattack forced the UK’s largest carmaker to stop making any vehicles for more than five weeks. The shutdown hit hundreds of suppliers and caused chaos among smaller firms that rely on the luxury-car maker’s business, prompting the government to step in and guarantee a 1.5 billion euro ($2 billion) emergency loan.

 

“While the situation has improved, the sector remains under immense pressure,” said Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive officer.

 

Even before JLR’s turmoil, the UK was grappling with an auto industry in decline. It was already bracing for a production slump this year, potentially to the lowest in more than seven decades. This was partly due to JLR, which had stopped making new Jaguar cars, with the brand going dormant until a new lineup of high-end electric vehicles is ready.