Vehicle manufacturing in the U.K. dropped 15.5% last year in the face of a cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover’s and trade pressures on the industry as a result of U.S. tariffs, according to an industry trade group.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders found automaker plants turned out a total of 764,715 units in 2025: 717,371 passenger cars and 47,344 commercial vehicles, with output falling year-over-year by 8% and 62.3%, respectively.
Among the chief causes was the cyberassault on the U.K.’s biggest automotive employer, which halted Jaguar Land Rover’s global production for more than a month.
In a Nov. 17, 2025 emailed response to a WardsAuto enquiry at the time, a JLR spokesperson said wholesale volumes for Q2 for the financial year 2026 were 66,165 units, down 24.2% compared to the previous year, while retail sales for the same period slumped 17.1% to 85,495 units.
The figures reflect the effects of the attack plus a planned wind-down of legacy models ahead of the launch of a new model (based on the Type 00 battery-electric luxury sedan), said the spokesperson.
“With our business recovering at pace and now returned to normal levels of production, we will continue to assess production and volume allocation in line with the dynamics of individual markets,” the spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
Beyond the cyberattack, SMMT’s statement also pointed to the adverse effects of U.S. tariffs on motor vehicles. In 2025, the United States was the second-biggest market for U.K. automakers, accounting for 15% of overall exports, according to the association.
Production of BEV, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars rose 8.3% to a combined 298,813 units. With the start of next-generation volume electric car production at Nissan’s Sunderland plant and the planned launch of seven new BEV models into the U.K. market, output is expected to grow in 2026.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes, in an association statement, described 2025 as the “toughest year in a generation” for U.K. vehicle manufacturing.
“The key to long-term growth, however, is the creation of the right competitive conditions for investment: reduced energy costs; the avoidance of new trade barriers; and a healthy, sustainable domestic market,” he added.
