6:50 am, October 7, 2025
JLR testing at factories ahead of production restart after cyber attack
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has started testing at its factories ahead of restarting some production as it continues to recover from the impact of a cyber attack.
The British car maker has said some sections of its manufacturing will ‘resume in the coming days’.
It comes amid reports from the BBC that it will first resume some production at its engine factory in Wolverhampton this week.
Aston Martin set to slump to a loss as US tariff impact bites
Aston Martin Lagonda has warned it expects to tumble into the red amid US tariff woes and flagged fears over supply chain pressures from Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber attack fallout.
The luxury carmaker said it is now braced for underlying losses greater than £110m, which was the bottom of the previous expected range, marking the second downgrade to its outlook since early July.
The alert sent shares tumbling by as much as 11% at one stage in Monday morning trading.
The Dacia Hipster Concept is a compact electric city car
Dacia has revealed a new compact urban electric city car called the Hipster Concept.
The Hipster measures in at just three metres in length, but is able to seat up to four passengers.
Underneath, the car will use an electric powertrain; however, the firm has not revealed any technical details at this stage.
REVEALED: Dacia Hipster!
Meet Dacia’s vision for a city car of the future!
Stripped-back interior with room for a family of four!
Only 800kg, 3m long & 1.55m wide!
Up to 100 miles of range likely!
Approx. £10,000 price tag expected!If this is the future of city… pic.twitter.com/aYJwJa6Lfc
— carwow (@carwowuk) October 6, 2025
FTSE 100 finishes lower as political woe in Paris jolts CAC 40
The FTSE 100 closed slightly lower on Monday, below new best levels, and despite gains by gold miners as the yellow metal hit a new high.
The London-based stock index closed down 12.11 points, 0.1%, at 9,479.14. The blue-chip index had earlier hit a new all-time best level of 9,516.83.
In European equities on Monday, the CAC 40 in Paris closed down 1.4%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended unchanged. The CAC 40 tumbled after prime minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned.
Monday on Car Dealer
Used Car Awards 2025 Nominations List: Is your business in the running for a top award?
Our Nominations List for the prestigious Used Car Awards 2025 is now complete – and here we reveal who will move to the next stage.
Sytner sees profits slashed in half as ‘challenging’ used car market takes its toll
Sytner Group’s pre-tax profits halved to £57.3m in 2024, down 54.5% amid used car market challenges. Turnover fell 1.9% to £7.29bn as used sales declined 10.5%. The firm rebranded CarShop to Sytner Select, acquired Rybrook, and closed costly underperforming sites.
JLR set to resume some manufacturing as ‘phased restart’ continues after hack
Staff at JLR production sites have reportedly began their return to work. Employees at the firm’s Wolverhampton engine plant were the first to go back yesterday, marking the first phase of recovery following August’s major cyberattack.
Used car dealer jailed for 30 months after hiding £2,000 of Class A drugs in his underwear
Used car salesman Vincent Parkes, 36, from Northwich, has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after police found £2,000 of cocaine and heroin hidden in his underwear. Parkes admitted drug dealing offences after officers stopped his Audi SQ5 and uncovered drugs, cash and scales.
New EV sales reach record levels in September as Electric Car Grant ‘provides added impetus’
UK EV sales hit a record 72,779 in September, up 29.1% year-on-year, as the new Electric Car Grant boosted demand. Battery EVs made up 23.3% of new registrations, with total car sales rising 13.7% to 312,887 – the best September since 2020.
KGM appoints two new commercial managers for dealers as it looks to drive sales
KGM Motors UK has appointed Jonathan La Porte and Richard Clarke as dealer commercial managers. La Porte will oversee Scotland and northern regions, while Clarke manages the south-west. Both bring extensive experience to help drive dealer sales, performance, and growth across KGM’s expanding UK network.
Forecourt Master wins industry award as firm looks to help car dealers save money on cleaning
Sponsored: Forecourt Master has scooped the prestigious ‘Innovation in Cleaning Technology’ award at the Business Awards UK.
From forecourt to finance: The smart way retailers are simplifying the vehicle lifecycle
Sponsored: Cox Automotive explains how its modular suite of solutions can meet your unique needs, whether you are a major franchise player or a small single-site dealer.
Drive Motor Retail performs ‘well ahead of peer group’ as firm posts improved profits for 2024
Drive Motor Retail increased pre-tax profits to £4.88m in 2024, up over 50% despite turnover falling to £292.9m. Bosses credited resilience and strong operations amid challenges from the ZEV mandate and economic uncertainty, with used and Motability sales both growing year-on-year.
Tories pledge to scrap business rates for shops and pubs
The Conservatives will abolish business rates for high street shops and pubs if they win the next election, the shadow chancellor has promised.
Sir Mel Stride made the commitment as he addressed the Conservative Party conference on Monday, saying the ‘burden of Labour’s tax rises’ had been ‘simply too much to bear’ for many businesses.
Pledging to ‘get business rates down’, he said: ‘I can announce that as a direct result of getting public spending under control, a future Conservative government will completely abolish business rates for shops and pubs on our high street.’
OpenAI and AMD sign chip supply partnership for AI infrastructure
Semiconductor maker AMD will supply its chips to artificial intelligence company OpenAI as part of an agreement to team up on building AI infrastructure, the companies said.
OpenAI will also get the option to buy as much as a 10% stake in AMD, according to a joint statement announcing the deal.
It is the latest deal for the ChatGPT maker as it races to beef up its AI computing resources.
Weather outlook…
Today, the UK will be mostly dry and bright with plenty of sunshine and light cloud.
Afternoon highs will be around 18–19 °C, dipping to about 12–13 °C overnight.
Expect calm winds and comfortable autumn conditions overall.
