The world loves a decent pick-up/utility vehicle – Australians more than most – and while we might expect announcements of exciting new all-electric vehicles in this category to come out of China or the US, companies from plenty of other nations are getting in on the action. Scotland might not necessarily be the place from where you might expect a new and exciting electric off-roader to appear, but here’s something a little special from Scottish manufacturer Munro Vehicles that looks like it has the goods and might well appeal to Australian tastes – the electric 4WD Mk_1 Pick-Up.
Actually, this is the second model from the company, with the Defender-styled MK_1 Truck/SUV appearing late last year. The new Mk_1 Pick-Up model – available with a dual-cab body style across three variants called Utility, Range, and Performance – comes with plenty of performance.
There’s a full-time 4×4 mechanical drivetrain paired to an electric powertrain which offers peak power output of 280kW/700Nm. This enables a sprint to 100km/h in a smidge over 4.9 seconds. That power and energy comes via a 220kW motor and an 82.4kWh battery that can be charged from 15 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes via a 100kW DC charger. The company claims a range of more than 305km per charge.
The rear bed of the Munro MK_1 Pick-Up accommodates a 1050kg Euro Pallet payload, while the Performance model has a 3,500kg maximum braked towing capacity.
Munro says the MK_1 Pick-Up signifies ‘the next milestone of Munro’s strategic mission to fulfil significant global market demand.’
Price for the Mk_1 Pick-up is £49,995 (excluding VAT tax) – that’s $AU94,450 – with deliveries commencing later this year. Munro says it has already secured more than 200 orders – making a move to larger manufacturing facility part of the company’s plans.
“With a full two-year order book for both the MK_1 Pick-Up and the MK_1 Truck, Munro is having to expedite its search for larger premises to meet customer demand,” said Russell Peterson, Munro CEO and Co-Founder, in a statement.
“The levels of positive feedback we have experienced from media and customers who have test driven the MK_1 Truck has been unprecedented and the response to the new MK_1 Pick-Up has been equally positive. This, and the 200 plus pre-orders we have taken across both the truck and Pick-Up models, gives us great confidence that the vehicles Munro has created are precisely what the market wants and needs and that we can play a key role in assisting those operating in challenging environments such as mining, construction, utilities, agriculture, and defence to meet imminent decarbonisation targets.
“This represents a significant global market opportunity and one which, with our financial partners, we are poised to fully exploit as we take the next strategic step and move towards the pre-production prototype stage.”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (June 2023)
8 June 2023