Jaguar Land Rover has announced a further extension of its car production shutdown as the UK’s largest car manufacturer deals with the repercussions of a cyberattack.
On Tuesday, JLR confirmed it would halt production at least until Wednesday, September 24th, as it continues to investigate the initial breach detected earlier this month.
The company mentioned: “As the forensic investigation into the cyber incident progresses, this decision has been taken. The investigation is proving to be time-intensive, considering the various stages involved in a controlled restart of global operations.”
“We deeply regret the ongoing disruption this incident is causing. We will provide updates as the investigation unfolds.”
Owned by India’s TATA Group, JLR has halted production after learning that hackers had breached their system several weeks ago.
The company revealed that the attack has impacted “some data,” but is unable to disclose specifics about which data was compromised or whether customer or supplier information has been stolen, though they will reach out to impacted individuals.
With production paused at factories in Midland and Merseyside, JLR faces significant financial implications due to the cyberattack. Other production sites globally are also feeling the effects, raising concerns that restoring operations may take weeks.
The shutdown is affecting JLR’s suppliers and retailers, who are operating without access to the databases usually utilized for sourcing spare parts for garages and registered vehicles.
Recently, the Unite Union warned that thousands of workers within the JLR supply chain may face job losses and urged the government to implement a furlough plan to support them.
The impact of the cyberattacks may persist into October, with thousands of JLR production employees instructed to stay home, suggesting that many suppliers might also need to keep their staff off-site.
Due to the shutdown, JLR estimates it has lost the production of 1,000 cars daily, resulting in an estimated loss of £72 million each day.
A group of hackers, believed to be responsible for other serious incidents involving major retailers such as Marks & Spencer, has claimed responsibility for the attacks on JLR. A screenshot purportedly from JLR’s internal IT system was shared on a Telegram channel associated with the hacker groups known as Scattered Spiders, Lapsus$, and Shiny Hunters.
This disruption comes at a time when JLR is already experiencing a downturn in profits, exacerbated by US tariffs and declining sales. The automaker reported a 49% drop in pre-tax profits to £351 million for the three months ending in June, which included a time when they temporarily halted exports to the US.
Last year, the company faced backlash regarding the Jaguar brand, and the launch of its new electric vehicle has been pushed back to next year.
Recent observations suggest the existence of a volcanic formation at the edge of Mars’ Jezero Crater, currently under investigation by NASA’s rover. This rover might already be collecting samples from materials expelled during an ancient volcanic eruption.
Perseverance, which landed in Jezero Crater in 2021, is methodically moving toward the western edge, tracing an ancient river that is believed to have flowed between 300 million and 4 billion years ago.
The rover is gathering samples meant to be returned to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return mission planned for the 2030s. However, this endeavor faces potential cuts proposed by the Trump administration affecting NASA’s funding.
Some of the materials in the samples were thought to be volcanic, showcasing characteristics of lava flow. Recently, James Ray from Georgia Tech in Atlanta and his team have identified a possible volcanic structure at Jezero Mons—a dormant volcano situated on the southeastern edge of Jezero.
High-resolution images from Martian orbiters have revealed fine-grained materials in the vicinity, possibly indicating ash from the volcano. The dimensions and shape of Jezero Mons—21 km wide and 2 km high—parallel those of similar volcanoes on Earth.
“The evidence for igneous volcanoes is most consistent with our observations,” states Ray, noting that magma may have originated from beneath the surface. “This is the strongest case we can make without physically visiting the site.”
By analyzing the craters near the volcano, Ray and his colleagues estimate that Jezero Mons may have last erupted around a billion years ago.
This finding suggests that the rover might have collected volcanic samples. If they can be returned to Earth, scientists would be able to accurately date volcanic activity on another planet for the first time.
“Knowing when that volcano was active is incredibly exciting,” exclaimed Briony Hogan from Purdue University in Indiana, a member of the rover’s science team. This information could significantly enhance our understanding of “how the interiors of planets evolve over time,” she adds.
Ideally, Ray mentions that he hopes to direct Perseverance to the volcano itself, but acknowledges this may not be feasible. “There are really fascinating ancient rocks to the west of the crater, so they’re likely driving in the opposite direction,” he explains. “I can’t blame them.”
NASA’s curiosity rover discovered evidence of the ancient Mars carbon cycle, bringing scientists closer to answers on whether the planet can support life.
Curiosity watches the track retreat in the distance on April 30, 2023 at a site called Ubajara. This site is where Rover discovered the Siderate. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.
Planetary researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the surface of the planet.
That carbon dioxide and water should have reacted with Mars rocks to produce carbonate minerals.
However, to date, rover missions and near-infrared spectroscopy analysis from Mars orbit satellites have not discovered the amount of carbonate on the Earth’s surface predicted by this theory.
“We’ve seen a lot of experience in the world,” said Dr. Benjamin Tutoro, a researcher at the University of Calgary.
“The planet is habitable and shows that the model of habitability is correct.”
Using data collected by curiosity, Dr. Tutoro and his colleagues analyzed the composition of the 89 m stratigraphic section of Gail Crater, which once contained an ancient lake.
They identified high concentrations of iron carbonate minerals called siderelites in layers rich in magnesium sulfate, ranging from about 5% to over 10% by weight.
This was unexpected as orbital measurements had not detected carbonates in these layers.
Given its source and chemistry, the researchers speculate that the Seidelians, formed by the water rock reaction and evaporation, indicate that carbon dioxide has been chemically isolated from the Martian atmosphere to sedimentary rocks.
If the mineral composition of these sulfate layers represents a globally sulfate-rich region, these deposits contain large carbon reservoirs that were previously unrecognised.
The carbonate is partially destroyed by a later process, indicating that some of the carbon dioxide was later returned to the atmosphere, creating a carbon cycle.
“The discovery of abundant siderelites in Gale Crater represents both an astonishing and important breakthrough in understanding Mars’ geological and atmospheric evolution,” Dr. Tutoro said.
Dr. Thomas Bristow, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center, added:
“A mere centimeters below gives us a good idea of minerals that were formed on or near the surface about 3.5 billion years ago.”
Survey results It will be displayed in the journal Science.
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Benjamin M. Tsutoro et al. 2025. Carbonates identified by the curiosity rover show the carbon cycle operating on ancient Mars. Science 388 (6744): 292-297; doi: 10.1126/science.ado9966
New images and shows taken over 16 minutes by the Mastcam Instrument of NASA’s Curiosity Rover on January 17, 2025 Night or in twilight cloudsin the atmosphere of Mars. Sometimes these clouds create rainbows of color, creating rainbow clouds and mother clouds. If it is too faint to be visible in the daytime, the clouds will be particularly high and only visible when the evening falls.
Mars clouds are made of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice at higher altitudes and lower temperatures.
The latter is the only kind of cloud observed on the red planet, producing rainbow colors, and can be seen near the top of the new image at an altitude of 60-80 km (37-50 miles).
It also appears that white feathers fall into the atmosphere on a low ride 50 km (31 miles) from the surface before evaporating due to rising temperatures.
Temporarily visible at the bottom of the image are water ice clouds moving in the opposite direction about 50 km of the curiosity rover.
This Curiosity/Mastcam image shows simultaneous clouds in the atmosphere of Mars. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/SSI.
“When I first saw these rainbow clouds, I always remember, but at first I was sure it was a few colour artifacts,” said the Atmospheric Scientist at the Institute of Space Science. said one Dr. Mark Lemon.
“It’s now predictable, so you can plan your shots ahead of time. Clouds appear at the exact same time.”
“Each sighting is an opportunity to learn more about the particle size and growth rates of Mars clouds, which will provide you with more information about the planet’s atmosphere.”
“The potential source of clouds can be gravitational waves, which can cool the atmosphere.”
“We weren’t expecting carbon dioxide to condense into ice here, so we’re cooling until something is likely to happen.”
“However, the gravitational waves on Mars are not fully understood, and we are not entirely aware of what the Twilight clouds are formed in one place and not elsewhere. “
JAguar finally revealed its highly anticipated Type 00 electric car at its Miami Art Week launch event. The marketing campaign teaser video released on social media two weeks ago generated mixed opinions. Here, industry experts share their thoughts on the car, its launch, and marketing.
Jeff Dodds
Former Honda Marketing Manager, currentChief Executive of Formula E, where Jaguar competes
I recently owned a Jaguar iPace. It’s a nice car, but it didn’t bring a smile to my face. That’s what I look for in a car. Jag knows this too.
If Jaguar’s goal was to grab attention at the launch, they definitely achieved it. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the release, and some guests were eager to see the beastly monster unveiled. It wasn’t terrible, but it was quite unique. It’s larger, bolder, and more disruptive than I expected. It will definitely turn heads. Not everyone will love it, but that’s a good thing. Inspector Morse may not go for it, but his grandson might if he just started a cybersecurity startup.
The event itself was completely different, industrial, and edgy. British grime MC and rapper Skepta may not be the typical Jaguar brand ambassador, but there he was, performing a DJ set surrounded by influencers and cultural tastemakers in downtown Miami. That’s a significant departure from the past. Maybe too much deviation? Possibly. Jaguar has quickly become a brand of conversation in the past tense, so I commend them. I believe you’ll find joy in riding the Type 0.
Ginny Buckley
Founder of UK EV buying website Electrifying.com
In Jaguar’s 90-year history, no event has created more global buzz than a controversial rebrand. Now that the dramatic Type 00 cover has been unveiled, the new logo and flashy advertising may fade from memory.
I first saw this car at a briefing session at Jaguar Land Rover’s Midland Design Studio. In my over 25 years as a motoring journalist, no car has impressed me as much as this £100,000+ all-electric GT.
Mr Buckley says the new Jaguar Type 00 concept car is “much bigger, bolder and more disruptive than we ever imagined”. Photo: Electricifying.com
Yes, it’s pink. Very pink. Presented in Miami Pink and London Blue, the car’s colors reflect the city it was revealed in and Jaguar’s British heritage.
The color is inevitably a point of focus for many critics. According to Jaguar’s design team, this color is “production ready” and could stir things up among traditional Jaguar fans if it becomes part of the final color palette.
Beyond the color, the Type 00’s design is striking with a long hood, massive grille, and front-hinged butterfly doors. Jaguar has also eliminated the rear window.
I find the Type 0 to be fresh and bold. My 15-year-old son described it as “the best,” and I take that as a compliment.
Buckley said the Miami pink color “could cause a stir among traditional Jaguar fans.” Photo: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Jaguar
“It’s going to challenge people and be polarizing,” said Jerry McGovern, Jaguar’s Chief Creative Officer. And it will. If their aim was to spark discourse, they have succeeded.
The question now is whether Jaguar can evolve the brand rapidly enough to attract the new generation of young, affluent buyers they hope will purchase the car.
Manfredi Ricca
Global Chief Strategy Officer at brand consulting firm Interbrand. He has collaborated with Bugatti and was instrumental in the relaunch of Mini and BMW.
Flashback to two weeks ago. Jaguars weren’t particularly interesting to many. Then, a 30-second video was released. Millions of heads turned instantly. In just 24 hours, Jaguar became a global talking point without unveiling any products.
Consequently, anticipation for the new lineup, with leaks surfacing on the eve of the release, has reached the intensity and reach of a World Cup final.
Campaigns designed for brand activation don’t get much better than this. Many overlook the fact that Jaguar Land Rover wasn’t attempting to evolve a successful brand; instead, it was reinventing a struggling one.
The reality today is that there are more people who appreciate Jaguar’s history than those who actually desire a Jaguar car.
Museums can subsist solely on the past, but commercial entities can’t. Companies must transform their legacy into something that attracts enough customers willing to pay a premium.
Ricca says the Jaguar Type 00 will “tempt” potential customers. Photo: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Jaguar
Once a trailblazing manufacturer of some of the world’s most innovative cars, Jaguar is once again adored by a few rather than ignored by many.
The concept introduced in Miami will captivate those few, but the true test lies in turning them into enthusiasts in 2025 when the car hits the market, and customers in 2026.
Richard Exon
Co-founder of advertising agency Joint, previously collaborated with Audi and Range Rover.
Jaguar deserves praise for its ambitious rebranding efforts. Making a clean break from the past is the best approach. The company aims to attract an entirely new customer base with its latest car range, and a more modern, inclusive, and daring brand strategy could prove successful.
However, good intentions aren’t enough when the execution is as lackluster as Jaguar’s pre-launch promotional video content.
Exxon said Jaguar’s rebranding video was “derivative and disappointing.” Photo: Jaguar/PA
Fortunately, the concept car images feature a bold new aesthetic that demands a fresh evaluation.
The critical next step is how well the innovative design of the concept translates into the final manufactured product available for purchase.
Jaguar’s troubled car brands seldom get second chances, so let’s hope Jaguar rises to the occasion, rebounds from the video mishap, and dares to be as unique as it aspires to be.
The leopard-spot-like features in the center of the image may be a sign of ancient life.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered a rock speckled with what appear to be traces of ancient life. Named Cheyaba Falls after a famous waterfall in Arizona, the rock suggests that microbial life may have existed there billions of years ago, but there's currently no certainty that life ever existed there.
The rock, about 1 meter by 0.6 meters in size, is mostly reddish with thin veins of white calcium sulfate that were likely formed when water flowed through cracks in the rock, depositing minerals in the cracks. Water is one of the elements necessary for life, but water is not the only thing researchers found as they sifted through the Perseverance data.
They found that among the white stripes were strange light-colored spots just a few millimeters in diameter, surrounded by a dark material containing iron and phosphate. “These spots were a big surprise,” they said. David Flannery NASA's Queensland University of Technology in Australia press release“On Earth, these rock features are often associated with the fossil record of microorganisms living below the Earth's surface,” because the chemical reactions that produce these leopard-print patterns in Earth's rocks can also provide useful energy for microorganisms.
In the same area where the rocks are, Perseverance also detected certain organic compounds that are considered building blocks of life. Taken together, all of this could be considered a trace of past microbial life on Mars, but it's far from conclusive proof. “We should be cautiously enthusiastic, but realistically cautious,” Perseverance said. Pole Barn “Right now, this is a sign that wet rocks are (probably) causing chemical changes,” said John Doe, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, who was not involved in the study.
As it turns out, there are ways to produce all these signatures without the involvement of any living organisms, and there are some indications that the region may have once been filled with hot magma, which may have made it impossible for life to survive there.
Unfortunately, it won't be clear anytime soon whether there are signs of life at Cheyaba Falls. “We've shone lasers and X-rays on the rocks, and literally photographed them day and night, from just about every angle you can imagine,” says Dr. Ken Farley “Scientifically, Perseverance has nothing more to offer,” Caltech said in a press release.
The rover is adding samples from Cheyaba Falls to its archives, and a future mission will bring them back to Earth, where researchers will be able to study them more closely with more advanced instruments. “There's a whole different way to analyze them than you would in a lab on Earth,” Byrne says.
But NASA's Mars sample-return mission, Perseverance, has suffered a series of setbacks over the past year, and it's still not clear when or if we'll be able to get an up-close look at the intriguing rocks.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA has announced that a completed rover scheduled for launch to the moon next year will be dismantled due to budgetary issues, leading researchers to question whether the space agency is really committed to landing a crewed spacecraft on the moon in 2026 as it currently claims.
The Volatile Investigation Polar Rover (VIPER) would be sent to the moon’s south pole in September 2025 to search for water ice. The rover, equipped with a drill, would search for subsurface ice in several locations on the moon, including in craters that are permanently in shadow.
But on July 17, NASA announced it was canceling the mission. “Decisions like these are never easy,” Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “But in this case, VIPER’s remaining projected costs would have forced us to cancel or terminate many other missions, so we have made the decision to abandon this particular mission.”
NASA has already spent $450 million on the rover, and canceling it is expected to save only $84 million. NASA says it welcomes “expressions of interest from U.S. industry and international partners” to purchase VIPER, but if this does not occur by August 1, VIPER will be dismantled with the aim of reusing its parts for future missions.
Phil Metzger Metzger of the University of Central Florida said canceling the mission would be a “huge mistake” for NASA, especially since the space agency has ambitious goals of landing humans on the moon’s south pole in 2026 as part of its Artemis program. It could also jeopardize plans to use lunar ice as a source of rocket fuel. “The rover with the drill is an absolutely essential part of the mission,” Metzger said. “It would definitely have some impact on plans for a human mission.”
The cancellation of VIPER could also give China an advantage in lunar resource exploration: The unmanned probes Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, scheduled for 2026 and 2028, respectively, are set to head to the lunar south pole to search for water ice.
Grant Tremblay Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said the cancellations highlight the budgetary challenges facing NASA and other U.S. government agencies, which have Funding is down 8.5% this year The funding came in just under $25 billion, less than the requested amount. “This is a perfect example of how tight the budget is across the board at NASA,” Tremblay said. “NASA can’t print money.”
Other NASA missions, including the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Mars Sample Return mission, which would bring rocks from Mars, are also facing cuts or cancellations due to shrinking budgets. “More bad news is sure to follow,” Tremblay said.
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