Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Britain’s largest carmaker, said it will keep its factories closed until October 1 following a cyberattack earlier this month that has paralyzed operations and rippled across the automotive supply chain. The shutdown, now stretching to four weeks, is costing the Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker about £50 million ($68 million) per week, according to the BBC.
JLR runs three UK factories producing around 1,000 vehicles a day, including the popular Range Rover and Defender models. The outage has forced many of its 33,000 employees to stay home, while smaller suppliers are also struggling to cope with the disruption.
Adding to the fallout, industry sources told The Insurer that JLR was left without direct cyber insurance coverage, having failed to finalize a deal brokered by Lockton before the attack. The company has declined to comment on its insurance position or on who may be behind the breach.
Government ministers, including Peter Kyle and Chris McDonald, visited JLR on Tuesday to discuss recovery plans. McDonald said the government’s top priorities are “helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.”
The shutdown underscores the UK’s broader vulnerability to ransomware and cyberattacks, which have recently hit major retailers like Marks & Spencer and Co-op, and even disrupted airport check-in systems across Europe. Official figures show more than 40% of UK businesses reported some form of cyber breach in the past year.
S&P Global’s latest survey shows JLR’s stoppage is already weighing on UK manufacturing output. With JLR’s supply chain supporting over 104,000 jobs, the Unite union has warned of potential layoffs and urged government support to protect workers and suppliers.
JLR said it is working on a phased restart plan, though the investigation into the attack continues. “We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week,” the company said, stressing its focus on minimizing disruption to staff and partners.