Made in Kenya: Kenya's automobile industry

Cars made in Kenya

Review type

Car

About Cars made in Kenya

Kenya is a growing economy and innovation is at the heart of it. Though there are different assembly plants for cars like Toyota and Volks Wagen, Mobius Motors took to manufacturing. Mobius motors, headed by Joel Jackson manufactured Kenya’s first own car. The automobile is called Mobius I and was first sold in 2014. However in September 2017 Mobius announced the production of Mobius II which is yet to hit the road. Therefore we review the Mobius I & II.

Summary of Cars made in Kenya

So far Mobius is the only Kenyan-made car. The first Mobius was launched in 2014 known as Mobius Cargo. They have now created two more cars namely: Adventure and Adventure Plus.

Mobius is a heavy duty car that is made with Kenyan roads in mind. “Mobius vehicles are designed in Africa, for Africa. From product concept to aftercare, a delightful customer experience is central. Mobius has developed vehicles uniquely suited to the demands of the Kenyan consumer,” writes Mobius on their website. The Mobius Cargo originally went for Ksh. 950,000.

Assembly of the Mobius vehicles is done in Thika by Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM). American Billionaire Ronald Lauder injected an undisclosed amount of money into the assembling of the cars. He gave Mobius a convertible loan in order to assemble the first fifty units.

Mobius Cargo has been stripped of air conditioning, power steering and many internal fixtures. It can seat eight passengers including the driver and has a large cargo space.

Cheap maintenance and efficient fuel consumption are some of its favorable features targeting the middle to low income earners.

The car has a loading capacity of 625 kilograms and a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour. So far Mobius Cargo comes in manual transmission.

On the hand Mobius II which is a newer model from the Cargo is fitted with power steering, lockable doors, higher ground clearance, improved exterior and interior design.

“Designed with local road conditions in mind, the new Mobius II combines the core performance of an off-road car to cover long distances on all roads reliably and comfortably,” a letter sent to a prospective buyer read in part and was seen by The Star.

Buyers however have to part with Ksh 1.3 million having made a refundable deposit of Ksh 50,000.

The body of Mobius II is built using tubular steel frame to reduce build and repair costs.

The local manufacturer told The Star that the vehicle has been driven over 2,500 kilometers around Kenya and on varied terrain and proved its rugged capability.

Mobius II targets farmers in order to help them increase productivity.

Rating

I rate Mobius 4.5 out of 5

Person

Joel Jackson