Key Points:
- UK car output dropped by more than a quarter in September, the lowest level since 1952.
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was paralyzed by a severe cyberattack, forcing a near-six-week shutdown of its three UK factories.
- The cyber-incident, labelled a category three systemic event, cost an estimated £1.9 billion and impacted over 5,000 businesses across the UK.
Severest September on Record Following the Cyberattack
UK car production plummeted 27 % in September, with only 51,090 cars rolling off the line, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The sharp decline is the worst September outcome since 1952, underscoring the scale of disruption after JLR’s factories in Solihull, Halewood and Wolverhampton halted production following the cyberattack.
The luxury vehicle maker, owned by Tata Motors, typically manufactures around 1,000 cars daily across its UK sites. Its shutdown rippled through the industry, dragging down van production nearly 40 % year-to-date.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said the sector was already under “immense pressure” before the hack struck, and September’s performance only reflected the impact of a full production loss at Britain’s biggest domestic carmaker.
Read also:
Economic Fallout and Industry Challenges
Cybersecurity analysts describe the JLR attack as the costliest in UK history, estimating the wider economic damage at approximately £1.9 billion. The incident disrupted over 5,000 organizations, illustrating how deeply the breach penetrated the automotive supply chain.
While JLR has begun a phased restart of selected sites and resumed some operations in early October, returning to full capacity remains a lengthy process. Suppliers and logistics partners face continuing uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the UK automotive sector’s woes go beyond the hack: rising global competition, electric-vehicle transformation costs, inflation and high interest rates had already weighed heavily on production even before the cyber incident.
Government proposals also threaten further disruption. Plans to abolish Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS) could slash revenues by over £1 billion, jeopardize up to 5,000 jobs and cost nearly £500 million in lost tax receipts.
As Britain’s once-proud car industry confronts its steepest monthly decline in decades, the combination of cyber-vulnerability and structural headwinds has laid bare the fragility of the UK’s manufacturing heartland. Recovery will require not only rebuilding systems and reliable cybersecurity solutions, but strengthening resilience across the entire supply chain—while tackling the broader transformation toward electric-vehicle production.