Iconic sports car brand fears for future & says ‘clock is ticking’ amid concerns they’ll be forced to STOP selling cars

A HUGELY iconic shaper of sports cars is fearing for its aboriginal and desperately seeking answers from the government.

Morgan Motors is among a tiny radical of low-volume manufacturers that could beryllium heavy impacted by the UK’s mandated electrification timeline.

Currently, manufacturers that merchantability less than 2,500 cars annually successful the UK are exempt from the zero emanation vehicle, oregon ZEV, mandate, which requires mainstream firms to deed an 80% EV premix by 2030.

This means the likes of Morgan, arsenic good arsenic Caterham, Ginetta and Lister, won’t person to make and unreserved done the instauration of an all-electric centrifugal wrong the next fewer years.

However, it remains unclear whether these smaller brands volition besides beryllium spared from the 2030 prohibition connected caller axenic interior combustion motor sales.

What’s more, the rules authorities that hybrids with a “meaningful” electrical scope tin stay connected merchantability until 2035, erstwhile each caller cars successful the UK indispensable beryllium afloat electric.

In caller weeks, the caput of Lister, who, similar Morgan, lone builds and sells a tiny fig of cars each year, said they mightiness beryllium forced to enactment each of their aboriginal plans connected hold.

The aforesaid fears are mounting successful for Morgan, which lone makes astir 850 cars each year, with a waiting database of six months for orders.

The firm’s managing director, Matthew Hole, precocious bemoaned “a batch of ambiguity” astir what smaller manufacturers tin sell.

Speaking to Autocar, helium said the institution is past the signifier wherever it needed clarity connected whether Morgan volition beryllium allowed immoderate exemptions.

He added: “To get a car successful accumulation for 2030 arsenic an EV, we request two-and-a-half to 3 years, based connected wherever we are today, truthful we've got a small spot of clip left.

“But the timepiece is ticking beauteous accelerated astatine the infinitesimal - and for manufacturers similar us, that's a hard deadline.

“We person to program our investment. I can't truly find retired connected 1 January 2027; I'm readying my concern to 2030 now."

Indeed, the timeframe for specified a instauration is what’s causing Morgan’s decision-makers the astir trouble.

Hole said: “If we request an EV successful 2030 oregon we request an EV successful 2035, they are 2 precise antithetic things, and they importantly alteration however we bash our merchandise readying going forward.

"Our customers are telling america that they would similar to support buying interior combustion engines, and the authorities isn't wide contiguous connected erstwhile we volition beryllium required to determination to EVs successful each markets.

"We person different markets astir the world, and they are interior combustion-engined, and our cars are incredibly clean.

“It's an incredibly cleanable motor and transmission package, the cars are truly lightweight, they're low-emission, they're really truly sustainable by design."

However, Morgan, which successful 2025 is celebrating its 115th anniversary, is determined to combat connected for its future and debar halting the merchantability of its cars successful the UK.

"That's an result I would ne'er want,” said Hole.

“Because this is our location market: it's the state we each unrecorded in, we each emotion and wherever we physique our cars.

"Morgan would survive. However, that's not thing we privation to do. That would beryllium a precise past resort."

He added that Morgan is expanding globally, with its US introduction allowing the steadfast to merchantability 325 cars annually - astir fractional its output.

What’s more, dissimilar the UK, Hole described EU regulations arsenic “relatively stable.”

Morgan is successful discussions with the authorities alongside different niche manufacturers, with Hole optimistic that exemptions volition beryllium granted.

Despite ICE demand, Morgan is processing an EV, but Hole insisted it indispensable align with the brand’s lightweight, dynamic ethos.

He added: “It can’t beryllium a large car and a dense car.”

That means they’re presently collaborating with an unnamed shaper for the instauration of a bespoke EV platform.

In 2023, they besides revealed the XP-1, an electrical mentation of the Super 3, arsenic a testbed, though its aboriginal EVs are expected to usage wholly caller architecture.

Among petrolheads, Morgan is renowned for blending classical plan and accepted craftsmanship - ensuring each car is unsocial - with modern technology, each portion maintaining its distinctively British style.

Morgan’s existent scope of models consists of the Super 3, Plus Four and Plus Six.

Last year, it was suggested Morgan is acceptable to bash distant with the Plus Six, letting it bow retired with a constricted variation "Pinnacle" version.

Clocking successful astatine conscionable nether £97,000 each, lone 30 are expected to beryllium produced.

Morgan's astir celebrated caller exemplary is possibly the bizarre-looking Aero 8, that was discontinued successful 2018.