The electric Moke America is selling strong in the USA thanks to celebrity endorsements.
The MINI Moke may not be a very familiar name to the younger generation, but it was quite iconic in its day. It was conveived by the original MINI designer, Sir Isaac Issigonis and John Sheppard as a doorless off-road vehicle. Its initial purpose was for military use, but the low ground clearance and lack of all-wheel drive made it unappealing to most armed forces around the world. Instead, it found popularity as a lifestyle vehicle in the passenger car market. Eventually, it fell out of favour only to be reborn in the USA as an all-electric brand.
Moke America has been around since 2016, when “Make America Great Again” was the slogan of the day. Today, the company has made over US$100 million putting some 4,000 cars on American roads and it’s clear that even with its limited performance and range, the American audience is in love with this vehicle.
That’s partially due to all the celebrity endorsements that have been made. From the Kardashians to Max Verstappen, the Moke America marketing team are aware that these celebs are the easiest way to get eyeballs on your product.
The product itself is nothing particularly special, though those who have driven it say that it is a lot more refined and comfortable over road surfaces than the original petrol-powered MINI Moke. That being said, most Malaysians will laugh when they read about its performance. Every time you fully charge it, it only goes for 65 kilometres before running out of juice. What’s more, its maximum speed is just 40km/h! Of course, you can’t expect much in the way of amenities. Forget air conditioning and airbags, even the roof is sold separately!
Well, what it lacks in substance, it certainly makes up for in style. The Moke is hand-built in Florida and is available in a range of 12 colours with individual parts being custom coloured often at no additional cost. You can even colour things like the rims if you like.
In terms of pricing, the electric Moke from America costs just under US$22K before taxes and shipping. That’s not cheap and without a right hand drive conversion, there’s absolutely no business case for such a vehicle here. Not even to use as a commuter car in small towns.
