Scottish car manufacturer unveils electric 4x4
- Published
Munro Vehicles will hand-build 50 cars in East Kilbride next year
A car maker is aiming to bring mass production back to Scotland for the first since the 1980s, with an electric 4x4 vehicle.
Munro Vehicles says it will hand-build 50 cars in East Kilbride next year before moving to a purpose-built factory near Glasgow.
It aims to produce 250 units in 2024, then ramp up to 2,500 a year by 2027.
The company, which plans to create 300 jobs over time, said it had already received orders from around the globe.
The Munro MK_1 will be the first car to be built at scale in Scotland for decades.
The Hillman Imp was mass produced in Linwood, Renfrewshire, throughout the 1960s and 70s. In 1981 Peugeot-Talbot closed down the plant.
According to Munro, the all-electric car can run for up to 16 hours on a single battery charge.
Munro Vehicles was founded by Russell Peterson (left) and Ross Anderson
The idea for the MK_1 came from Munro Vehicles co-founders Russell Peterson and Ross Anderson.
The pair were on a camping trip in the Highlands, when they found the car they were driving was struggling with steep climbs.
Mr Peterson said: "It dawned on us that there was a gap in the market for an electric-powered, four-wheel-drive, utilitarian workhorse.
"We envisioned a vehicle with ultimate, go-anywhere, off-road ability, unrestricted by road-derived underpinnings that limit the all-terrain ability of vehicles such as the 4x4 pick-up trucks that have come to dominate the market."
Munro launched in 2019 with private funding provided by Mr Anderson and Mr Peterson.
A further injection of capital was raised in late 2021 through London-based Elbow Beach Capital.