Iconic sports car brand announces it’s putting ‘all future plans on hold’ – including release of brand new model
ICONIC sports car maker Lister – which has been around for some 71 years – has announced it’s pausing all of their future plans.
The historic brand, known for producing variants of the Jaguar XJS before creating their own line of bespoke sports cars, is set for a quiet period due to the uncertainty around the government’s plans to end the sale of combustion-powered motors.
First entering the British car industry in the 1950s, Lister began as a builder of racing cars – usually with help from Jaguar.
To petrolheads, they’re perhaps best remembered for the V12-powered Lister Storm – which became one of the main players in the GT racing scene.
In recent times, they began building newer versions of their original 1950s racers, as well as extra-tasty, tuned versions of the Jaguar F-Type and F-Pace.
But now, the company is at risk of becoming a part of history, as it announced it’s putting all current and future plans on hold.
That largely consists of an upcoming model that would’ve been their first release since the aforementioned Storm in 1993.
In a statement, Lister’s CEO, Lawrence Whittaker, mentioned the government’s plans to end the sale of new internal combustion cars by 2030 – known as the Zero Emission Vehicle, or ZEV, mandate.
“This means that, in just five short years, all cars sold in the UK are likely to be electric,” he said.
Whittaker says that, previously, the ruling was that manufacturers that produce fewer than 1,000 cars per year would be exempt from the strict emissions regulations – which would include Lister.
But now he fears that the ruling has changed.
He said: “In the past, small-volume British car manufacturers such as ourselves, Morgan, Caterham, Ginetta, and others, have been exempt from emission demands because we produce fewer than 1,000 cars per annum under the IVA or SVA Type Approval.
“However, the UK Government has yet to confirm whether this exemption will continue.”
He touches on what the brand had in mind for the future, adding: “We had plans to create a brand-new car for the road – our first new model in over 32 years.
“This multi-million-pound investment would not only secure Lister’s future but would also create many new jobs, not only at our head office and factory but also with many suppliers throughout the UK.
As it stands, with no clarity on the future rules for IVA or SVA Type Approval cars, we have taken the incredibly difficult and heart-breaking decision to put all future plans on hold.”
He finishes by stating that Lister is in a very strong financial position, but cannot afford to gamble on the future of their business.
He also urges an update to the legislation so the firm can plan for the next five years.