Businessman Who Calls Himself the 'Brazilian Elon Musk' Announces Production of 120,000 Cars a Year Without a Factory and Becomes Target of the Public Prosecutor's Office

Businessman Who Calls Himself the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’ Announces Production of 120,000 Cars a Year Without a Factory and Becomes Target of the Public Prosecutor’s Office

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 04/09/2025 at 09:45

Updated on 04/09/2025 at 11:29

Jornalista Boris Feldman alerta que o projeto Lecar promete SUV, sedã e picape, mas não tem veículos rodando nem estrutura industrial

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The Lecar Project, From Entrepreneur Flávio Assis, Still Does Not Have a Running Car or a Built Factory, But Is Already Asking for Customer Reservations and Investment in Dealerships — a Situation That Led the Public Prosecutor to Investigate Possible Irregular Collection of Savings.

The entrepreneur from Espírito Santo Flávio Assis, who calls himself the “Brazilian Elon Musk”, has been attracting attention in the automotive sector with bold promises. His project, named Lecar, talks about producing 120,000 vehicles per year, including a sedan, a pickup truck in the style of Fiat Strada, and even an SUV.

The problem, according to automotive journalist Boris Feldman, is that there is no factory built, nor any car undergoing tests.

While the speech aims at numbers from already consolidated multinational companies, the reality is that it is an endeavor still on paper.

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The History of Promises and Course Changes From the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’

The Lecar project has gone through several announcements regarding the location of its factory.

First, the plan was to set up the plant in Rio Grande do Sul, then in Espírito Santo, later in China, and again in Espírito Santo.

Assis also attempted to acquire the Ford factory in Camaçari (BA), but the deal was closed with the Chinese BYD.

More recently, he mentioned negotiations to use the unit in Jacareí (SP), which belonged to Caoa Chery, but the Chinese automaker itself is considering reclaiming the space.

This back-and-forth of plans increases suspicion about the actual execution capacity of the project.

The Difficult Mission of an Independent Manufacturer

According to Boris Feldman, Brazil has witnessed several failures of independent manufacturers.

IBAP in the 1960s, Obvio! in the 2000s, Engesa, and even Gurgel, which managed to produce more than 20,000 vehicles, did not withstand the lack of scale and capital.

In the global scenario, even giants like Ford, GM, and Volkswagen face difficulties in financing their electrification plans.

The technology chosen by Lecar, series hybrid, has already been used in the BMW i3 and today is seen in models like the Nissan Kicks e-Power, but still faces performance and acceptance barriers in large territorial markets such as Brazil.

Pre-Sale and Risk of Irregularities

Assis even asked for a 1% down payment of the car’s value (around R$ 15,5 thousand) for those who wanted to reserve one of the first units. The uptake was low.

Later, he launched the “Lecar dealership” model, where interested parties would spend R$ 15,000 for marketing materials and take on monthly payments, with the car only delivered after the settlement of half of the financing within up to 60 months.

This practice, according to specialists cited by Boris Feldman, may constitute irregular collection of savings, as it involves raising funds without an approved product or formal guarantees.

The case has caught the attention of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is evaluating whether there has been a violation of financial legislation.

What Is at Stake With the “Brazilian Elon Musk”

While promising to compete with multinationals and attract billion-dollar investments, the Lecar project remains without concrete evidence of viability.

For Feldman, the initiative repeats known mistakes of other national manufacturers and may generate frustration among customers and investors.

The trajectory of Flávio Assis raises doubts not only about industrial execution but also about the transparency of fundraising.

Until the first cars are on the road and the factory leaves the paper, the title of “Brazilian Elon Musk” seems more like a slogan than a reflection of reality.

And you, do you believe that projects like Lecar have a future in Brazil or are they just unviable promises against the large global automakers? Leave your opinion in the comments — we want to hear from those who live this in practice.

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Marcos

#171943

09/09/2025 23:37

Precisa tomar cuidado com o que esse Bóris diz. Ele fala bobagens demais. É um engenheiro desatualizado com vontade de ser um jornalista. No fundo, já deveria ter se aposentado.

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Carlos A F Santos

#170749

08/09/2025 15:58

Em vez de apoiar e ajudar a viabilizar a fabricação dis carros da Lecar, no Brasil, o governo cria dificuldades para que o investidor e empresário brasileiro não consiga recursos para ter as instalações da Fábrica, para que comece a produzir os carros necessários para a divulgação e confirmação que os carros que serão produzidos, serão o que realmente ele anuncia.
Fizeram isso com o Gurgel e outras empresários brasileiros que se aventuraram na produção de carros nacionais.
Falta de apoio ao produto nacional dos governos anteriores e atual.
Infelizmente o empresário nacional se quiser tem que batalhar sozinho, só ajudam os que já estão estruturados.
É fácil criticar.
Apoiar que é bom ninguém.

-1

Respond

Ednilson

#170582

08/09/2025 09:41

Acho ótima ideia.
Mas ele precisa fazer uns 10 carros completos prontos e colocar pra rodar.
Depois as vendas seriam questão de tempo.
Um sonho ter uma marca brasileira
Se esse projeto sair com certeza comprarei um desses.
Mas só na propaganda fica difícil

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Businessman Who Calls Himself the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’ Announces Production of 120,000 Cars a Year Without a Factory and Becomes Target of the Public Prosecutor’s Office

The Lecar Project, From Entrepreneur Flávio Assis, Still Does Not Have a Running Car or a Built Factory, But Is Already Asking for Customer Reservations and Investment in Dealerships — a Situation That Led the Public Prosecutor to Investigate Possible Irregular Collection of Savings.

The History of Promises and Course Changes From the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’

The Difficult Mission of an Independent Manufacturer

Pre-Sale and Risk of Irregularities

What Is at Stake With the “Brazilian Elon Musk”

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Businessman Who Calls Himself the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’ Announces Production of 120,000 Cars a Year Without a Factory and Becomes Target of the Public Prosecutor’s Office

The Lecar Project, From Entrepreneur Flávio Assis, Still Does Not Have a Running Car or a Built Factory, But Is Already Asking for Customer Reservations and Investment in Dealerships — a Situation That Led the Public Prosecutor to Investigate Possible Irregular Collection of Savings.

The History of Promises and Course Changes From the ‘Brazilian Elon Musk’

The Difficult Mission of an Independent Manufacturer

Pre-Sale and Risk of Irregularities

What Is at Stake With the “Brazilian Elon Musk”

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

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