Semiconductor crisis: Jaguar Land Rover halts production at two UK factories

Halewood and Castle Bromwich closed for at least a week as chip shortage continues to impact the industry

Jaguar Land Rover is pausing operations at two of its largest production facilities for at least a week due to a shortage of crucial 'semiconductor' computer chips. 

According to The Guardian, the manufacturer's Castle Bromwich and Halewood factories will implement a "limited period of non-production" from Monday. Operations could restart seven days later, depending on the state of semiconductor supply. 

Affected models include the Castle Bromwich-built Jaguar XE, XF and F-type, and the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, which are produced in Halewood.

The semiconductor crisis has been affecting global vehicle production for several months now, following a surge in demand for smartphones, tablets and personal computers at the height of the pandemic. As car manufacturers mothballed production lines due to lockdowns and consumers switched to home working, semiconductor supply was almost wholly diverted to the technology sector, and the trend has yet to be tangibly reversed.

This developing story is being updated, and Autocar has contacted Jaguar Land Rover for comment.