Morgan Motor Company

Morgan Motor Company

Morgan Motor Company

Morgan Motor Company

Morgan Motor Company

The Morgan Motor Company—best known for still using postwar styling and wooden body frames for some of its cars—will have a full hybrid and electric range within the next three years. The British car maker is going to invest $8.6 million (£6 million) to develop hybrid and electric powertrains for all the models in its range by 2019, working in conjunction with Delta Motorsport and Potenza technology.

Despite the retro image of Morgan's cars—the company does still use ash wood as a structural material, even in 2016—the company has actually been quite forward-looking over the past decade. The Aero 8 (introduced in 2007) has an up-to-date aluminum chassis and modern aerodynamics, even if it looks like it stepped out of the pages of an alternative history novel.

"We have been involved in the research and development of new propulsion technology since the inception of the LifeCar project almost ten years ago. We are now ready to develop the best hybrid and electric drive-train solutions for production implementation before the end of the decade," said Steve Morris, Morgan's boss.

The funding comes from the Advanced Propulsion Centre, a $1.4 billion (£1 billion) collaboration between the UK government and the auto industry. In addition to funding Morgan's electrification program, APC is also funding programs to develop new battery packs, advanced turbocharger designs, and electrified London Taxis.