A new electric vehicle based on the design of the iconic 1950s Morris van is to be made in Wales in an investment creating 150 high-skilled jobs.
Morris Commercial Ltd is setting up a production facility at the Welsh Government-owned Bro Tathan business park in the Vale of Glamorgan, for its modern-day reimagining of the Morris J-Type – the Morris JE.
The classic van was once a popular sight on British roads and the all-electric version will retain a number of its original features. With its distinctive design and lightweight recycled carbon fibre monocoque body the new Morris JE will have an average range of 250-mile based on a half payload of half a ton.
The company looked at a number of sites across the 海角视频, where it was also offered financial incentives, before opting to locate the project at a 50,000 sq ft ft former MoD hangar building, which is surrounded by land for potential long-term expansion.
The lightweight fibre glass bodies will be made in Milton Keynes and then transported to the St Athan site for assembly, with plans also for a paint shop and further investment opportunities.
Senior consultant with the company, John Killick, said: “ We did look at different locations around the 海角视频, which also had incentives, but we found the base in Wales was just what we needed. Many of the new built sites are based on warehousing and are great big boxes with very small car parks and little electric vehicle charging.
"We know Aston Martin (which has a factory at Bro Tathan) as well from previous commercial relationships and they have offered us help and support which is nice and the people at Bro Tathan were really helpful and welcoming.”
The first vehicle will come off the production line in late 2026 with the company in the process of developing a pre-production model.
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Mr Killick added: “There is enormous interest all around the world, but to start we will be focusing on the 海角视频 domestic market with a sell-build model. However, we expect to go up to a 1,000 vehicles a year fairly quickly in around three years. The point of this van is not just to look good, but that is also has a good payload with a light weight body that is technically advanced."
The vans will retail at £61,000 plus VAT, but with leasing options too.
As well as sales to consumers the company is confident there will be demand from businesses, such as artisan bakers and parcel delivery traders.
Morris Commercial will receive £1.2m of financial support from the ’s Economy Futures Funding to establish the production facility. The funding will be released in installations against agreed investment and job creation targets.
The zero emission, carbon neutral Morris JE is expected to rival vehicles such as Ford Transit Custom, Vauxhall Vivaro and VW ID Buzz.
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said: “With our innovative landscape and support for low carbon concepts, Wales is a natural home for the Morris JE.
“This exciting project will benefit from the robust automotive sector and supply chain cluster we are developing here in Wales.
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“Well-paid jobs will also be created for skilled workers as the company delivers this historic retro van into the electric vehicle era.”
Chief executive of Morris Commercial, Dr Qu Li said:“We are excited to have our Morris JE volume production facility in Bro Tathan soon. This will enable us to start to deliver vehicles to long waited customers. We thank the Welsh Government for its support.”