Jaguar Land Rover's production pause extended for another week after major cyber attack

Jaguar Land Rover’s production pause has been extended until next Wednesday as the carmaker’s efforts to recover from a crippling cyber attack continue.

The company has told staff, suppliers and partners that the factory shutdown will continue until at least September 24.

JLR could face a £120 million hit to its finances, a professor at Birmingham Business School has said.

“We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues, and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time,” a JLR spokesman said.

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

Production was paused earlier this month at JLR’s factories in Solihull in the West Midlands, and its engine manufacturing site in Wolverhampton and at it's factory in Halewood on Merseyside.

David Bailey, professor of business economics at the Birmingham Business School, said: "The value of cars usually made at the sites means that around £1.7 billion worth of vehicles will not have been produced, and I’d estimate that would have an initial impact of around £120 million on profits.

"Some of that might be recovered when production restarts but the longer this goes on, the more of a concern this will be.

"If reports are right that this could last until November, then that could mean around 50,000 cars not being produced."

He also warned the halt to production could threaten the future of some smaller businesses within JLR's supply chain.

It followed a major cyber attack that affected its global operations and forced the UK manufacturer to shut down its systems on August 31.

It is the latest in a spate of cyberattacks affecting UK businesses, with retailers M&S, the Co-op and Harrods among those worst affected.

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