Solihull staff return to Range Rover production line after JLR cyber-attack

Range Rover production lines in Solihull have resumed, according to car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

About 1,000 employees also started work in the car maker's Wolverhampton engine plant on Wednesday, it said, marking a "significant moment" on its journey back to full vehicle production.

The company revealed on Monday it had suffered a sharp drop in sales following a cyber-attack, adding it had been a "challenging quarter" as it also dealt with the impact of higher US tariffs.

There was a "strong sense of unity and momentum" as the company welcomed back staff, said global manufacturing director Luis Vara.

The company was back to doing "what it did best", he added, "building quality luxury vehicles for our customers".

Stamping operations in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, and Halewood, in Merseyside, have also resumed, the company said.

"Wolverhampton is one of the first sites to restart production because it's where we build all of the engines for JLR vehicles ahead of vehicle production taking place," the company added.

The attack came at a crucial time for the company with the release of new 75-series number plates expected to trigger a surge in demand.

Between July and September, sales fell by 17.1% compared with the same period a year ago.

UK sales had dropped by a third, the company said.

JLR said this partly reflected the production freeze since the start of September.

JLR has announced a programme to fast-track payments to its direct suppliers, some of which have laid off workers after their revenues dried up following the hack.

The company also vowed to pay back financing costs for those JLR suppliers who use the scheme during the restart phase.

Industry insiders have warned the resumption of production, while welcome, does not end the crisis being experienced by many smaller suppliers.