British car production fell by more than a quarter (27.1%) last month, following a cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover which halted production at the factory, industry figures show.
The total number of vehicles rolling off assembly lines – including cars and vans – fell even more sharply, by 35.9%, according to September data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The decline is “largely responsible” for a five-week pause in production at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) due to a malicious cyberattack, while other automakers reported growth.
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As a result, JLR’s assembly lines in the West Midlands and at Halewood in Merseyside were suspended from late August to early October.
During this period, not a single vehicle was manufactured. The production has since restartedbut the attack is believed to have been “the most financially damaging” in UK history at an estimated cost of £1.9 billion, according to security body the Cyber Monitoring Centre.
This is the lowest number of cars manufactured in September in the UK since 1952, including during the COVID-19 lockdown.
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Despite the restart, the sector remains “under immense pressure”, said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
The gradual restart of operations led to a slight increase in manufacturing output this month, according to a closely watched survey.
Among the cars manufactured, almost half (47.8%) were battery electric, plug-in hybrid or hybrid.
The vast majority, 76% of total vehicle production, was intended for export.
The main destinations are the European Union, the United States, Turkey, Japan and South Korea.
JLR is just the latest company to be the subject of a cyberattack.
Harrods, Co-Op and Marks and Spencer are among the companies that have struggled with such attacks over the past year.