Jaguar-Land Rover, closed by cyberattack until October 1

Some brands seem to have too many problems. From failed engines to design issues, but on top of these, there are several setbacks that have nothing to do with the vehicles themselves, but with production itself. Jaguar-Land Rover has been hit by a serious problem that has caused production at its British plants to be interrupted for several weeks now. Yes, since August 31, not a single vehicle has rolled off the production lines of its factories.

The cause has been a cyberattack that has blocked production, which the company’s technicians are unable to resolve, at least for now. On August 31, Jaguar-Land Rover’s IT systems were hit by an attack that paralysed the production lines, causing chaos at the brand’s factories. And although this may sound simple to fix, the lines have now been stopped for several weeks.

A devastating attack

This attack appears to have affected the systems that control vehicle production, and the deadline the company has set for resolving the problem is October 1. But this is not clear, and it could stretch beyond that date. In fact, there are rumours that production will not resume until November. A problem that is costing the company between seven and thirteen million dollars a day.

While production remains halted, employees at the affected factories continue to receive their salaries, as the company does not want to provoke excessive labour tension. However, this decision is creating financial strain, as the company’s figures are deteriorating rapidly.

The problem threatens to escalate, because it appears to have already begun affecting companies that supply parts and materials for JLR’s vehicle manufacturing. For the time being, the company is containing the effects of the shutdown, but this cannot last long. If production cannot resume on October 1, the problems could grow and become unsolvable, with suppliers collapsing and serious financial problems for JLR. We will be watching closely, but for now, no new vehicles from either brand are coming out of these plants.