Morgan appoints new electrification boss to lead EV development

Morgan has taken a step towards its electrified future with the appointment of Matthew Hole as new chief technical officer and head of electrification.

Hole replaces Graham Chapman – who has been promoted to chief operations officer - as CTO and in the newly created role of electrification boss will draw on his experience in previous positions with Drive System Design, Antonov, SAIC, Airbus and Romax.

He will be responsible for "all engineering and design functions of the business", reporting directly to CEO Steve Morris. 

His appointment serves as a firm official acknowledgement from Morgan of future electrified models to come, and indeed the firm says it intends to "fully embrace an electric future". 

Hole said: "I'm relishing the opportunity to help transition Morgan Motor Company towards an electric future at what is a hugely exciting point in the marque’s 112-year history. 

"Morgan has a tradition of innovation and has remained true to its core values for generations, and I'm confident that these values can be strengthened as we implement EV technology. 

"As an engineer, it’s a fascinating challenge that carries a significant weight of responsibility, not least because of the significance of the Morgan brand.”

Little is known about the British sports car maker's first electrified models, but CEO Morris emphasised his belief that Morgan EVs should be hand-built, bespoke and "exciting to drive". 

Morgan's engineers are said to be "hard at work" developing next-generation models. Details are thin on the ground, but we know that an all-new version of the 3 Wheeler is due next year with a three-cylinder Ford engine and other substantial revisions over its predecessor. 

The new aluminium-intensive CX architecture has underpinned a reinvention of Morgan's core Plus Six and Plus Four roadsters in recent years, replacing the steel architecture the firm had used across its line-up for some 84 years.