JLR extends production halt until Oct 1 over cyberattack

New Delhi: Tata-owned British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Tuesday announced that it will extend its production halt until Wednesday (October 1), following a major cybersecurity incident that disrupted its operations earlier this month.

In a statement, the company said, “Today we have informed colleagues, suppliers and partners that we have extended the current pause in production until Wednesday, (October 1).”

“We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation,” the luxury carmaker added.

The cyberattack, which occurred on September 2, has forced the company to repeatedly push back its production schedule. Earlier this month, JLR had paused production until September 24, but the disruption has now been extended as investigations continue. The company said its teams are working closely with cybersecurity experts, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and law enforcement agencies to ensure a safe and secure restart of operations.

“Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues, and our retailers who remain open. We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience,” the company added. JLR is carrying out a forensic investigation into the cyberattack and has said that operations will restart gradually in a controlled manner.

The company apologised for the prolonged disruption, saying, “We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses.”

The suspension of production has hit JLR’s three UK factories, which normally build around 1,000 cars a day.The company is estimated to have lost tens of millions of pounds since the shutdown began.