The Moke has been out of production since 1992, when the last of these tiny Jeep-like Minis rolled off the line in Portugal. Ever since then, a group of Australians (the website suggests it was a family) have been pining for the Moke so fiercely that in 2005 they decided to do something about it. They started Moke Motors, and after seven years of development, they partnered with China's Chery Automotive and their subsidiary Sicar Engineering to resurrect the Moke.
The mechanicals for the new Moke are all Chery components. Chery's 1L inline 3, making a precise 69.4 HP will be powering the new Moke, which is just about twice what the original Moke's 850cc A-series engine was making. An five-speed manual is standard, but an automatic is promised as well.
There's also an eMoke electric version planned, with a fairly golf-cart like top speed of just under 40 MPH, and a range of 74 miles.
(According to Moke America's website, the gas version sells for $24,000 and the electric version—which only goes 25 mph—is $15, 950.
People who are wrong are just as sure they're right as people who are right. The only difference is, they're wrong.
— God@The Tweet of God
A group of Aussies take an out-of-production British design — that was last made in Portugal, reworks it, and partners up with a Chinese firm that is now building it in Asia using what sounds like a slightly more robust version of the old Suzuki G10A 3-banger engine for power (seriously — 69.4 hp? My old man had a bigger motor than that on his old aluminum flat-bottom fishing boat!) How is this making America great again?
Unless the intent is to build a car even crappier than a Yugo in order to make American cars (or American bicycles, for that matter) look good by comparison. -"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?
If it gets marketed here it will most likely carry a "Deere" logo. I can see this thing with a mower attachment and fertilizer spreader and putt-putting around on the local neighbors farms.
“In a world whose absurdity appears to be so impenetrable, we simply must reach a greater degree of understanding among us, a greater sincerity.”
