Jaguar Land Rover eyes cost-cutting and wealthy buyers in cyber attack recovery
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to cut costs by £1.7bn and appeal to wealthy American petrol heads in a bid to recover the cost of last year’s devastating cyber attack.
The British car maker, which owns brands including Range Rover and Defender, announced plans to tap into growing demand for luxury products and cater to wealthy consumers with its exclusive designs and tailored models.
While the US is already JLR’s largest global market, the company said it is now prioritising North America.
PB Balaji, chief executive of the carmaking giant, said the rising demand for luxury products combined with “the strong preference” for their brands points to “significant growth potential.” He told the FT, “Our aspiration, in the coming years, is to grow our US business to the size of the entire JLR business as it exists today.”
Cyber attack caused chaos
“Apart from accelerating our existing offerings, we are also exploring new high-potential segments for our Defender brand, which will allow us to offer tailored luxury products and experiences for even more of our US clients,” he added.
Jaguar Land Rover manufactures most of its cars in factories in the UK, including Solihull and Merseyside, and in Slovakia, where approximately 100,000 of these are sold to the US each year.
The shift in market focus is also expected to strengthen the group’s supply chain amid tariffs on US imports and worldwide trade tensions.
JLR is continuing to recover from a cyber attack last year, where the business, its employees and the wider UK economy were all significantly impacted.
The carmaker was forced to pause production at its UK factories for five weeks from September 2025, leading to a drop in sales in the latter part of the year and heavy financial losses.
‘No way’ petrol models at risk
The luxury car manufacturer is aiming for double-digit revenue growth by expanding its hybrid range and launching new models.
More choice will be available for hybrid and electric models of its Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands, while Jaguar will be purely electric, the firm said.
Balaji said there was “no way” JLR would get rid of petrol models completely but insisted that it is not “slowing down on any of our electrification plans.”
In addition to this US push, JLR plans to make £1.7bn worth of cuts in areas like materials, warranty and fixed costs. With key markets in the UK, Europe, and China, JLR said it is planning future investment in regions including India and the Middle East.