Jaguar Land Rover extends production halt to Oct. 1 after cyberattack

Jaguar Land Rover announced Tuesday that its production lines will remain halted until at least Oct. 1 after a cyberattack in August disrupted operations.

The shutdown began when the company sent workers home from its plants in central and northwest England on Aug. 31, and the move has rippled through the U.K. auto industry. JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, employs more than 30,000 people, with its supply chain supporting tens of thousands more jobs.

The company has disclosed limited information about the attack and says it is investigating. It extended the pause 'to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation.'

JLR said it is working with law enforcement and the U.K. government's National Cyber Security Centre to ensure the restart is safe and secure.

The government said Business Secretary Peter Kyle and Industry Minister Chris McDonald would visit Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday to talk to companies in the supply chain. McDonald said, 'We are acutely aware of the difficulties the stoppage is causing for those suppliers and their staff, many of whom are already taking a financial hit through no fault of their own — and we will do everything we can to reassure them that the government is on their side.'

The disruption underscores the fragile nature of the U.K. auto industry’s supply chain and the challenge of returning to full production in a cyber-threat environment.