Iconic sports car brand announces it’s putting ‘all future plans on hold’ – including release of brand new model

ICONIC sports car shaper Lister - which has been astir for immoderate 71 years - has announced it’s pausing each of their aboriginal plans.

The historical brand, known for producing variants of the Jaguar XJS earlier creating their ain enactment of bespoke sports cars, is acceptable for a quiescent play owed to the uncertainty astir the government’s plans to extremity the merchantability of combustion-powered motors.

First entering the British car manufacture successful the 1950s, Lister began arsenic a builder of racing cars - usually with assistance from Jaguar.

To petrolheads, they’re possibly champion remembered for the V12-powered Lister Storm - which became 1 of the main players successful the GT racing scene.

In caller times, they began gathering newer versions of their archetypal 1950s racers, arsenic good arsenic extra-tasty, tuned versions of the Jaguar F-Type and F-Pace.

But now, the institution is astatine hazard of becoming a portion of history, arsenic it announced it’s putting each existent and future plans connected hold.

That mostly consists of an upcoming exemplary that would’ve been their archetypal merchandise since the aforementioned Storm successful 1993.

In a statement, Lister’s CEO, Lawrence Whittaker, mentioned the government’s plans to extremity the merchantability of caller interior combustion cars by 2030 - known arsenic the Zero Emission Vehicle, oregon ZEV, mandate.

“This means that, successful conscionable 5 abbreviated years, each cars sold successful the UK are apt to beryllium electric,” helium said.

Whittaker says that, previously, the ruling was that manufacturers that nutrient less than 1,000 cars per twelvemonth would beryllium exempt from the strict emissions regulations - which would see Lister.

But present helium fears that the ruling has changed.

He said: “In the past, small-volume British car manufacturers specified arsenic ourselves, Morgan, Caterham, Ginetta, and others, person been exempt from emanation demands due to the fact that we nutrient less than 1,000 cars per annum nether the IVA oregon SVA Type Approval.

“However, the UK Government has yet to corroborate whether this exemption volition continue.”

He touches connected what the marque had successful caput for the future, adding: “We had plans to make a brand-new car for the roadworthy – our archetypal caller exemplary successful implicit 32 years.

“This multi-million-pound concern would not lone unafraid Lister's aboriginal but would besides make galore caller jobs, not lone astatine our caput bureau and mill but besides with galore suppliers passim the UK.

As it stands, with nary clarity connected the aboriginal rules for IVA oregon SVA Type Approval cars, we person taken the incredibly hard and heart-breaking determination to enactment each aboriginal plans connected hold.”

He finishes by stating that Lister is successful a precise beardown fiscal position, but cannot spend to gamble connected the aboriginal of their business.

He besides urges an update to the authorities truthful the steadfast tin program for the next 5 years.