The UK government could buy parts for JLR in an effort to keep suppliers afloat after the car maker was forced to stop production following a cyber attack on 1 September.
The suggestion has come as ministers weigh up whether and how to support the Land Rover maker after it extended its global production pause by a week to 1 October.
The main stumbling block for the idea is logistical, in that the bought parts would need to be stored somewhere, reports the BBC.
As such, other ideas are also being floated, such as government-backed loans to suppliers. However, this isn’t considered a viable option by those in need of support.
Concerns from suppliers – some of which are thought to be close to bankruptcy – will be heard by the Business and Trade Select Committee this afternoon. The government will then use these findings to make a decision.
Speaking on Tuesday at JLR's roof supplier, Webasto, business secretary Chris McDonald told the BBC it was "really important that we don't impose solutions on businesses but that we work with them".
JLR's production pause extended
On 23 September, JLR extended its vehicle production pause by another week.
The company had planned to restart production at its UK and Slovakia factories on 24 September but delayed the restart as part of a plan to resume operations "in a safe and secure manner".
The move means JLR will lose a full month of vehicle production, having not produced any vehicles since shutting down all its global systems in response to the attack on 1 September.
The impact on volumes will be made clear when the company releases its production numbers for the quarter, but in the three months to the end of September last year, it produced more than 80,000 cars.
In a statement sent to Autocar, a JLR spokesperson said: "We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation.
"Our teams continue to work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the NCSC [National Cyber Security Centre] and law enforcement to ensure we restart in a safe and secure manner.
"Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues and our retailers, who remain open. We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience."
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Perhaps they should just let JLR die and close down instead of suggesting that my taxes fund a producer of Co2 emissions, the same emissions taxation that they have been clobbering motorists with, and let the employees find something else to do that's better for the environment.
From 1 October the market will be flooded by thr good old unreliable JLR cars. How happy we all are!!Seriously: The cheapest way to improve is adding just few Japanese QA engineers to the management. Sorry, Oxford and Cambridge graduates.
Not mentioned in the Autocar article but from another news source:
In September 2023, JLR outsourced its IT and digital services to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), also a Tata-owned company, intended, it said, to "transform, simplify, and help manage its digital estate...
They say transform, simplify and help manage, but we all know it was cost cutting.
Put all your eggs in the one basket and... It's not rocket science.