Jaguar Land Rover begins phased production restart after six-week cyber shutdown

After more than a month of total operational blackout, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced a phased restart of its manufacturing operations. The luxury carmaker was forced to halt production across key facilities following a major cyberattack in September, which disrupted IT systems and supply chains. The six-week shutdown has been one of the most severe in JLR’s recent history, affecting its UK-based suppliers and costing the company up to GBP 5 million a day, according to business economics professor David Bailey.

JLR ensuring Controlled comeback

JLR is resuming production in stages, prioritising component manufacturing first. Engines and batteries are at the forefront of the restart plan, with the Wolverhampton engine facility and Coleshill battery assembly centre among the first sites to resume operations this week. Following this, key areas of the Solihull vehicle production plant — the hub of Range Rover manufacturing — are scheduled to restart on October 8. This phase includes the body shop, paint shop, and logistics centre, which coordinates parts distribution globally.

Vehicle assembly lines to follow

The main vehicle assembly lines will come online shortly thereafter. JLR confirmed that Range Rover and Range Rover Sport lines in Solihull, along with Land Rover Defender and Discovery production in Nitra, Slovakia, will resume later this week. The phased approach allows the company to carefully manage production while addressing the backlog caused by the shutdown and ensure quality and safety standards are met.

Cyberattack and its fallout

A hacker group called Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters claimed responsibility for the attack, exploiting a vulnerability in SAP Netweaver software to access customer data. The attack forced JLR to halt operations to prevent further damage, causing millions in lost revenue. In response, the UK government offered a GBP 1.5 billion loan guarantee, while JLR launched a financing scheme to support its 700 UK suppliers, who collectively employ around 150,000 people.

Return to full production will take weeks

While the phased restart marks a critical step towards normalcy, JLR has warned that it will take several weeks to fully recover. Clearing the substantial backlog for its high-demand luxury SUVs remains a priority as production ramps back up.