Automotive News – September 2026

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will meet the bosses of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and the Unite union to discuss the impact of thousands of expected job cuts at the car maker.

JLR confirmed to the BBC it is opening a voluntary redundancy programme, a year on from a cyber-attack which brought production to a halt for more than a month.  The company did not confirm the numbers, but the Times reported as many as 4,000 jobs may be lost due to the impact of tariffs and a drop in sales.

Sourced from TheBusinessDesk

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Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to shed 4,000 jobs comes after the carmaker has travelled down a very rough road.

The company has seen sales fall in all of its major markets, and it has been dealing with the consequences of a devastating cyber-attack that paralysed production last year.

At the same time, it has been investing billions in an effort to reinvent itself for an electric future, in which it is likely to face intense competition from aggressively expanding Chinese brands.  Executives have now decided a major overhaul is needed.

One of the main concerns for JLR is China. Not so long ago, it was seen as a land of opportunity for western carmakers, where the rapidly expanding middle classes seemed to have an inexhaustible appetite for upmarket foreign-badged vehicles.

JLR, along with other European brands such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz, was all too willing to meet that demand, at a time when the European market was extremely crowded and growth hard to find.

Sourced from BBC News website

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Range Rover has unveiled its first fully electric model, after a year‑long delay to its planned launch.  The Range Rover Electric, to be built in Solihull, marks a major shift in its electrification programme, backed by large‑scale upgrades across its West Midlands sites.

Parent company JLR said it had up-skilled 10,500 workers for electric production as it pushes ahead with modernisation despite recent financial pressures and planned job cuts.

The launch comes as the Coventry‑based carmaker faces falling profits, supply chain disruption and restructuring following a cyber-attack last year.

Sourced from SMMT

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The UK new car market recorded its ninth consecutive month of growth and best August since the introduction of the biannual plate change, with registrations rising 13.7%, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).  94,236 new cars joined Britain’s roads in what is typically one of the market’s quietest months of the year as many buyers defer purchases ahead of September’s number plate change.

Growth was recorded across all sale types. Fleet registrations rose 10.1% to account for 57.2% of the market, while private demand grew strongly, up 19.0% on last year to comprise 40.8% of registrations. The smaller business sector, representing 2.0% of the market, also posted an increase, up 14.5%.

Sourced from SMMT

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McLaren Automotive has revealed a £500m investment programme to expand its UK manufacturing, engineering and operations.

The investment forms part of a larger commitment from McLaren Automotive shareholder L’IMAD, a sovereign investor of the government of Abu Dhabi.  It is intended to reinforce McLaren’s commitment to Britain, where Bruce McLaren founded the company in 1963.

It will enable McLaren Automotive to expand its production capability, increasing vehicle output to ensure the next generation of McLaren Automotive cars are built in Britain including a newly confirmed performance SUV. This will be made possible by a new vehicle assembly facility planned in the UK.

Sourced from TheBusinessDesk