What if your brand-new luxury car just couldn’t be delivered—because hackers took the keys? This is no sci-fi scenario: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the iconic British automaker known for its sleek designs and royal clientele, has just been thrown into chaos after a devastating cyberattack crippled its vital systems.

In an unfolding drama that reads more like a blockbuster thriller, JLR’s internal IT network was hit on Monday by a targeted cyber hack. The immediate fallout? Production lines ground to a halt, dealerships were left scrambling, and even simple tasks like handing over new cars or ordering essential parts became a logistical nightmare. The company, famous for its Range Rovers and Land Rovers, has been forced to shut down manufacturing at its major sites in the West Midlands and Merseyside, with thousands of workers told to stay home until at least September 9.

The AI generated newscast about the JLR hack reveals that, behind the scenes, cybersecurity experts and law enforcement have joined forces with JLR’s own teams, racing to rebuild shattered IT infrastructure and shield the company from further attacks. While JLR’s showrooms remain open, employees are resorting to old-school methods: manually registering vehicles by calling the British Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) one-by-one—something almost unheard of in the digital age.

This mayhem stems from a flaw exploited by a group called Scattered Spider—a notorious hacker collective that previously wreaked havoc on UK retailer Marks & Spencer, costing them a reported £300 million in lost profits earlier this year. Now, the same group claims to be behind the strike on JLR, although the company has not publicly confirmed details of the breach or given a timeline for a full fix. As a precaution, JLR immediately began an emergency shutdown of its systems on Tuesday, hoping to limit the damage but causing even more disruption.

Dealerships are feeling the brunt: unable to order or code new parts, unable to deliver cars on time, and forced to improvise during one of the busiest periods of the sales year—what the industry calls ‘new plate day.’ Even with the public-facing website, including the popular car configurator, appearing to function normally, the chaos behind the scenes is real and ongoing. For now, the only certainty is uncertainty as JLR, with help from AI generated newscast about the hack, works around the clock to bring its world-class operations back online and regain customers’ trust.