6:50 am, October 8, 2025
JLR reveals tumbling sales as it is set to restart production after shutdown
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed a sharp drop in sales over recent months as it prepares to restart production across its UK sites on Wednesday after weeks of disruption following a cyber attack.
The British carmaker said it had been a ‘challenging quarter’ as it also grappled with the impact of higher US tariffs.
It revealed sales fell by 17.1% to 85,495 units between July and September, compared with the same period a year ago, with UK sales dropping by nearly a third.
Shell takes £446m impairment from cancelled Dutch biofuels project
Shell has revealed a stronger performance in its oil and gas trading operation but has taken a 600 million US dollar (£446.3 million) hit from stopping a major biofuels project in Rotterdam.
The FTSE 100 oil giant saw shares tick higher on Tuesday morning after updating investors.
It said trading in its integrated gas division is set to have been ‘significantly higher’ in the third quarter of 2025 than the previous quarter, in a positive signal for earnings. Shell reported production guidance of 910,000 to 950,000 barrels of equivalent per day of gas for the latest quarter.
Skoda Fabia 130 is fastest production variant of the supermini
Skoda has revealed the fastest production variant of the Fabia supermini with the ‘130’.
The Fabia 130 has been developed to celebrate Skoda’s 130th birthday, with the car featuring a new engine as well as exterior and interior upgrades.
Under the bonnet, there is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that develops 174bhp and 250Nm of torque, which is 26bhp more than on the standard model. In terms of acceleration, the car can do 0-60mph in 7.2 seconds and will reach a top speed of 142mph.
FTSE 100 flat as buyback boosts Imperial Brands
The FTSE 100 ended little changed on Tuesday, holding near recent record highs, supported by well-received updates from Shell and Imperial Brands.
The FTSE 100 index closed up just 4.44 points at 9,483.58. It had earlier traded as high as 9,507.11.
In European equities on Tuesday, the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt both rose slightly.
Tuesday on Car Dealer
FCA reveals how payouts will work as millions of car buyers due cash for unfair car finance deals
Around 14m UK car buyers could receive £700 compensation each under a proposed FCA scheme, costing lenders £8.2bn. The regulator says 44% of finance deals since 2007 may be unfair due to hidden commission arrangements, with payouts potentially starting next year.
JLR to ramp up ‘phased return’ with production set to resume in West Midlands and Merseyside
JLR will ramp up its phased production restart tomorrow, with operations resuming at Wolverhampton, Coleshill, Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull. CEO Adrian Mardell confirmed suppliers will receive early payments under a new financing scheme as recovery efforts continue following August’s major cyberattack.
Eastern Western bosses feeling positive despite car dealer reporting a dip in profits for 2024
Eastern Western Motor Group saw profits fall 40% to £13.25m in 2024, despite turnover rising to £920.81m. Directors said growth in new and used car sales offset higher admin and interest costs, adding that margins and franchise performance remained strong across all brands.
Aston Martin braced for heavy losses as impact of JLR hack adds to supply chain woes
Aston Martin has warned investors of deeper losses exceeding £110m amid supply chain issues and US tariff pressures. The carmaker blamed weaker sales in North America and Asia, tariff uncertainty, and potential fallout from JLR’s cyberattack, prompting an immediate cost review and cautious outlook.
Arnold Clark adds quartet of Omoda and Jaecoo dealerships across England and Scotland
Omoda and Jaecoo have expanded their UK presence with four new Arnold Clark-run dealerships in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Wallsend. The move strengthens the Chinese brands’ footprint, offering customers access to their latest models and technology across Scotland and northern England.
Fords of Winsford celebrates tenth anniversary at Manchester site with record month of sales
Fords of Winsford celebrated 10 years of its Manchester site with a record 358 car sales in September. The firm plans to expand its Trafford Park outlet to 2.4 acres, boosting capacity to 750 vehicles alongside its 2,000-strong Cheshire site.
New managing director for Maxus as van brand looks to grow its presence in the UK
Van manufacturer Maxus has appointed Steve Hunt as its new UK managing director. With over 40 years of automotive experience, Hunt will focus on accelerating growth, expanding dealer coverage, and enhancing aftersales support as the brand strengthens its UK presence.
Government ‘in discussions’ with EU over steel tariff hike – Starmer
The Government is ‘in discussions’ with the European Union over a steel tariff hike, the Prime Minister has said, as UK industry figures warned of an “existential threat”.
The European Commission has disclosed plans to impose 50% tariffs on steel, double the current level of 25%, while reducing tariff-free import volumes to 18.3 million tons a year – a 47% reduction.
It would effectively match the levy US President Donald Trump previously imposed on the EU.
Two thirds of parents think driving should be on school curriculum – research
It’s been revealed that two thirds of parents think that driving should be part of the school curriculum.
That’s according to the UK’s largest under 17-year-old driver training scheme, Young Driver, who asked 2,700 parents and grandparents if they felt students should learn about driving skills and awareness in schools.
The research also found that 67 per cent of parents supported the idea of having graduated driving licences, which puts a set of restrictions on new drivers for an initial period of time, but a further 23 per cent said that proper education wouldn’t be necessary.
Weather outlook…
The UK will today see partly cloudy skies with occasional light showers.
Daytime highs should reach around 16–17 °C, dropping to roughly 9–10 °C at night.
Overall, expect a cool, changeable autumn day with intermittent rain and breaks of brightness.
