One of Britain's most iconic vehicle brands is calling on the Government to provide clarity for motorists and manufacturers regarding the future of petrol and diesel vehicles.
At the start of the year, Labour's Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Parliament that no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030.
A further deadline has been clarified for 2035 which outlines that all new cars and vans from this point will need to be 100 per cent zero emission.
It is hoped that these targets will work alongside the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate which requires manufacturers to have a minimum percentage of sales come from electric vehicles.
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The boss of Morgan Motor Company has called for the Government to provide clarity on the ZEV mandate
PA
By the end of the year, brands will need to have 28 per cent of sales come from zero emission vehicles, with this number rising to 80 per cent by the end of the decade.
However, concerns about the future of the ZEV mandate have been raised by manufacturers, including the British classic car brand Morgan Motor Company.
Matthew Hole, managing director of Morgan, said there was "a lot of ambiguity" regarding the future of smaller car companies and how they will adapt to the ZEV mandate.
He said: "To be honest, we are past it. To get a car in production for 2030 as an EV, we need two-and-a-half to three years, based on where we are today, so we've got a little bit of time left.
"But the clock is ticking pretty hard at the moment - and for manufacturers like us, that's a hard deadline. We have to plan our investment," he told Autocar.
Hole added that it would not be suitable for brands to find out about any confirmed plans in 2027 since manufacturers need to plan for the future now.
A Department for Transport spokesperson told GB News that manufacturers selling fewer than 1,000 cars are exempt from the ZEV mandate and CO2 targets up to 2030.
A consultation on the future of the ZEV mandate for smaller-scale manufacturers between 2030 and 2035, with the DfT confirming details "in due course".
The DfT said rules for manufacturers which produce less than 1,000 vehicles have been in place since the launch of the ZEV mandate, with the Government having no plans to change this for the duration of the legislation.
Hole noted that there was a big difference between needing to manufacture an electric vehicle from 2030 and 2035, prompting him to call for the situation to be clarified.
At the end of January, Morgan unveiled behind-the-scenes images of its new six-cylinder flagship model during on-road testing ahead of its official reveal later this year.
The vehicle, which remains unnamed, is built on a new "CXV" platform, which is an "advanced evolution" of Morgan's bonded aluminium chassis.
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The unnamed six-cylinder model from Morgan Motor Company is set for an official reveal later this year
MORGAN MOTOR COMPANY
The rollout of the new model comes following the decision from the brand to end production of its Plus Six model.
Morgan Motor Company said the new model would not be a direct replacement for the Plus Six but would instead occupy a "rightful" position at the top of the brand's line-up.
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