Lecar: Brazilian ‘automaker’ without a car and without a factory wins another government setback

Lecar continues to promise to manufacture its national car, but, in the meantime, the company had its qualification in the federal program Mover (Green Mobility and Innovation) suspended by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC). The sanction, applied retroactively to May 1, 2026, stems from the lack of proof of investments in research and development (R&D) for the 2024 calendar year.

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Without sending the mandatory report, the brand led by Flávio Figueiredo Assis loses access to the program’s financial credits, used to reduce federal taxes.

Investigation on suspicion of financial pyramid

In addition to the tax problems, the company faces a legal crisis. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), triggered by the Ministry of Finance, is investigating the automaker on suspicion of operating a financial pyramid scheme through the “Programmed Purchase” model. Through the system, the Lecar 459 and Lecar Campo models, advertised at R$ 159.3 thousand, are sold in up to 72 interest-free installments, with a promise of delivery in the middle of the contract.

The Ministry of Finance pointed out serious irregularities. Among them, there is the absence of legal authorization to operate consortia or advance sales, the charging of a membership fee to new commercial representatives and the declared dependence on the entry of new consumers to sustain cash flow.

The promised vehicles, however, do not yet have homologation and exist only as prototypes. The Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) was also called to assess the lack of backing.

Factory without works and search for Asian partners

In the industrial field, the promised Lecar factory in Sooretama (ES), budgeted at R$ 870 million, should have started production in March 2026, but the works have not even begun, waiting for environmental licenses and municipal permits.

To try to make the assembly line viable, the brand migrated to a multi-brand regime in the SKD format (import of semi-assembled sets). After breaking a confidentiality agreement with China’s Neta, Lecar is now trying to attract China’s Shineray and XPeng to share the costs of the Espírito Santo plant.