Jaguar Land Rover sales collapse in wake of cyber attack

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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reported a dramatic collapse in sales following a major cyber attack that paralyzed the luxury carmaker’s production lines.

Wholesale figures for the final quarter of 2025 plummeted by more than 43 per cent compared to the previous year. The company produced just 59,200 vehicles during the three-month period ending in December, a staggering drop from the 104,400 units manufactured during the same window in 2024.

The downturn is directly attributed to September’s cyber attack that forced a total standstill across JLR’s UK factories in Birmingham and Coventry. While the company stated that production only returned to normal levels in mid-November, the lag in global distribution meant that retail sales also suffered, falling by 25 per cent to 79,600 vehicles.

Adrian Mardell, JLR’s Chief Executive, acknowledged the severity of the situation, noting that the quarter was defined by “significant challenges” stemming from the attack. The manufacturer also faced headwinds from a planned phase-out of legacy Jaguar models and new US tariffs on exports, which further suppressed volumes.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of parent company Tata Motors, addressed the vulnerability in his annual letter, emphasizing that the attack highlighted the urgent need for technological resilience. He noted that while modern technology offers growth, it simultaneously creates “significant vulnerabilities” for global corporations.

Although JLR claims to have made “strong progress” in recovering its operations safely, the financial impact remains a major blow to the brand’s fiscal year. The incident serves as a stark reminder of how a single digital breach can cripple a physical manufacturing giant, leaving thousands of orders unfulfilled and sales targets in disarray.

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