Automotive News – Early April 2026
Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis is proposing to close its Falkirk plant with the potential loss of 115 jobs.
The move comes six months after the Scottish government announced a £4m furlough scheme aimed at saving the company’s operations in Scotland.
The scheme was introduced after Alexander Dennis said it was planning to switch production to Yorkshire, putting up to 400 jobs at risk in Falkirk and Larbert.
Sourced from BBC news website
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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) managed to bounce back from the hugely damaging cyber-attack that brought production lines to a halt for more than a month, its fourth quarter sales figures revealed today (April 2)
Both its wholesale and retail sales in the three-months to March 31, 2026, and the full year ended March 31, 2026, rose significantly compared with the previous quarter as its operations recovered and production returned to normal levels following the hacking incident.
Wholesale sales are the finished cars JLR sells as a business, as opposed to retails which are vehicles customers buy from retailers.
Car manufacturing shuddered to a standstill on August 31, 2025, when the cyber incident occurred, resulting in five weeks’ loss of car production.
Sourced from The Business Desk
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Best month ever for new EV registrations as market grows in all-important plate change March.
- New car registrations rise 6.6% during typically biggest market month of the year.
- BEV volumes rise 24.2% to reach record high, but market share just 22.6% – when mandated target for the year is 33%.
- Industry’s calls for urgent review of the transition intensify as Iran crisis threatens consumer confidence.
The UK new car market grew by 6.6% in March, typically the busiest month of the year, with 380,627 new vehicles registered, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The performance marks the best March – and best month overall – since 2019.
Sourced from SMMT
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The owner of UK luxury car maker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has received £380m from a UK government-backed project focused on the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) has revealed the latest government-backed projects under the DRIVE35 programme.
It is a package of more than £470m in grants to support the UK automotive industry and includes substantial UK government support of around £380m for Agratas, part of the Tata Group, parent company of JLR.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
