JLR sales bounce back after major cyber attack impacted vital UK car giant

Car giant Jaguar Land Rover has reported a strong bounce back in sales after a major cyber attack forced it to shut down production last year.

The UK's largest carmaker said it sold 95,300 vehicles to dealers in the three months to March 31, a sharp 61.1 per cent increase compared with the previous quarter.

Retail sales also rose, climbing 16.2 per cent to 92,700 vehicles. The recovery follows a significant disruption in late 2025, when JLR halted production across all its UK factories for five weeks from September 1 after a cyber incident.

Sites including Solihull and Halewood, which are key employers, were affected, with production only restarting in October.

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The company revealed in its latest performance update that output has returned to "normal levels", helping drive the recent sales improvement.

However, despite the quarterly rebound, sales remain lower than a year ago. Dealer sales were down 14.5 per cent year-on-year, with a sharper 23.1 per cent drop in the UK.

JLR said the earlier cyber attack continues to have a knock-on effect, alongside other global pressures. These include US tariffs, weaker demand in China and the planned phase-out of older Jaguar models.

Chinese sales fell heavily, dropping 29.8 per cent during the quarter, while overall retail sales were down 14.3 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The latest figures build on earlier financial results, which highlighted how severely the cyber incident hit the business

In its third-quarter update, JLR reported revenue of £4.5billion, down 39 per cent compared with a year earlier, with performance "impacted by the production shutdown we initiated in response to the cyber incident".

The company also swung to a loss, reporting a £310million loss before tax for the quarter, compared with a £523million profit a year earlier.

JLR said the disruption meant production only returned to normal levels by mid-November, with further delays caused by the time needed to ship vehicles globally.

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Other factors also weighed on performance, including "the planned wind down of legacy Jaguar models and the deterioration of market conditions in China".

Despite the challenges, the company struck a more optimistic tone about the months ahead.

Chief executive P. B. Balaji said: "Q3 was a challenging quarter for JLR with performance impacted by the production shutdown we initiated in response to the cyber incident, the planned wind down of legacy Jaguar and US tariffs."

"Thanks to the commitment of our dedicated teams, we returned vehicle production to normal levels by mid-November, and we are focused on building our business back stronger."

Looking ahead, he said: "While the external environment remains volatile, we expect performance to improve significantly in the fourth quarter and we have clear plans to manage global challenges. We have a resilient business and remain focused on transformation."

JLR, which is owned by Tata Motors, said 2026 is expected to be a key year as it pushes ahead with new models and its shift towards electric vehicles.

The firm confirmed plans to launch a new Range Rover Electric and unveil its next-generation Jaguar. It also highlighted recent successes, including the Defender's strong performance in the Dakar Rally.

JLR said its Defender vehicles finished first and second in the stock class during their debut year in the gruelling race. The company insisted it remains "well positioned for significantly improved performance" despite ongoing global uncertainty.

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