Thursday 13th November

Charge Holdings and TVR Automotive plan merger

Just when it seemed TVR was done, a new deal is on the table 

---

For all the wrong reasons, it seems, TVR and the new Griffith has been away from the PH homepage for a long time. Now, however, there’s some good news to report, or certainly what seems like it. A company called Charge Holdings has agreed with TVR Automotive a ‘strategic framework for merger’. It would make TVR a subsidiary of Charge Holdings and, in theory, resurrect the Griffith project. Let’s see. 

Charge Holdings can count a few brands under its umbrella, probably most notably for this venture Charge Cars. Back in 2018, when it was known as Charge Automotive, it unveiled an electric Mustang now known as the ‘67 that you may have seen whizz up the Goodwood hill. Which is another low volume, niche sports car of a kind, so Charge presumably brings some experience of that challenge to the TVR situation. And don’t worry, they aren’t planning an electric Griffith just yet; the intention is very much to deliver a combustion powered Griffith to those eager, willing, patient customers. But the idea of ‘expanding into electrified platforms in the future’ has been mooted already. May as well get both shocks out of the way in one. 

There's not very much more to say for the moment than that. Charge Holdings CEO Paul Abercrombie said: “Charge Holdings’ mission is to bring together iconic performance brands and world-class manufacturing expertise. This strategic merger with TVR is set to unite heritage with innovation, creating a new leader in the low-volume luxury automotive sector. More details will be announced in early 2026.” Exciting times, it would seem. More news as we have it. 

---

• Did TVR save the best for last? | PH Video
  
• TV-famous TVR Tuscan S, £80k mid-life crisis

 

[je777]

This'll go well. The new TVR company has been a roaring success and now there'll be the added massive popularity of an EV version.

[Fetchez la vache]

What is there actually to merge with? Genuinely interested - heaven only knows what the current state of play is.
My initial thought was that charge were only really after the (patented?) low weight manufacturing process & thats all.

[Cylon2007]

I won't be holding my breath

[cerb4.5lee]

I won't get my hopes up this time, because I've already made that mistake once, so I won't be doing it again.

[p4cks]

TVR is never, ever coming back.

[cannedrex2406]

ah yes, the annual "TVR isnt dead, we Pwomise ^u^"



at this point just call it quits, its saves everyones time and money

[cirks]

hmmm. charge cars were nice and successful...............into administration with debts of £1.3M and a lenders charge of 7.3M
So, Charge Holdings own a loss making business and now own TVR too....
Hope something good happens but it doesn't look great on paper.

[Derek99]

Autocar reported on 03/07/24 that Charge Cars, makers of the electro-restomod 1967 Mustang had collapsed without a single £350K car being delivered. Autocar also reported that sibling company Arrival had gone into administration in February 2024. The companies were to share batteries, motors and control systems.

Autocar then reported on 17/01/25 that Charge Cars had been saved by a group of investors who planned to get the Mustang ready for deliveries and invest in the premises at Silverstone.

The Goodwood event referred to was in 2019, so the project has been going for years without any car being delivered. Another 10 months has gone by since the Autocar article and no one seems to have reported any cars being delivered.

I am not sure how merging two companies, one of which previously collapsed without delivering a car and the other seemed to be on the verge of it, also without delivering a car, is going to achieve success.

[Magikarp]

A new leader eh? I look forward to that, almost as much as I look forward to the comments.

[defonsecca]

Website (via LinkedIn) is full of phrases like "we're a vertically integrated Group", "strategic investments" , "responsible governance" etc.

Sounds more like an AI start-up company than a new car manufacturer which needs £££millions of investment to even begin to get going in the first place.

So where's the money coming from exactly????

[E-numbers]

Hahahaha. This is the ultimate no news news. If we’re interested in cars. The things you can buy and get into and drive.

[ntiz]

At this point tell us when a car rolls off the production line until then absolutely nobody believes they are coming back.

Surely nobody has got money in with them anymore?

[DonkeyApple]

Charge were bought out of admin earlier in the year and have new owners and new backers. Their primary business is to sell EVs but they want the TVR as it is a dirty V8 which can be sold alongside their EV models to stabilise the seesaw of consumer trends.

[Bernt Tuakrisp]

To be fair it does take at least two lemons to make a curd.

[jeremyc]

DonkeyApple said:

Charge were bought out of admin earlier in the year and have new owners and new backers. Their primary business is to sell EVs but they want the TVR as it is a dirty V8 which can be sold alongside their EV models to stabilise the seesaw of consumer trends.

They also bought Lab364, a paint shop, so they can at least regularly change the colour of the two prototype vehicles they have to give the impression of production going on ...

[VR6 Eug]

Looks like a Supra!

[Alfie53]

DonkeyApple said:

Charge were bought out of admin earlier in the year and have new owners and new backers. Their primary business is to sell EVs but they want the TVR as it is a dirty V8 which can be sold alongside their EV models to stabilise the seesaw of consumer trends.

When you say sell EV's, you mean a restomod EV based on a 1967 Mustang that costs £350K, of which none have been delivered to customers in the last (at least) 6 years, and even if it was put into production, the market for it is tiny.

And how can they sell a TVR that hasn't progressed from a prototype produced by a 3rd party, 10 years ago, and is based on a Mustang that has gone out of production?

TVR couldn't raise the funds to develop the car. How is Charge any different? If they have merged, then they have also taken on TVR's debt mountain.

[Mark-C]

Bernt Tuakrisp said:

To be fair it does take at least two lemons to make a curd.

But can you then polish it?

[PMC Music]

jeremyc said:

hey also bought Lab364, a paint shop, so they can at least regularly change the colour of the two prototype vehicles they have to give the impression of production going on ...

Wasn't that an old TVR trick too?

[hidetheelephants]

cirks said:

hmmm. charge cars were nice and successful...............into administration with debts of £1.3M and a lenders charge of 7.3M
So, Charge Holdings own a loss making business and now own TVR too....
Hope something good happens but it doesn't look great on paper.

Think of the tax write-off!