I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted a vehicle more than the latest entry in the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column. That’s because this week we’re checking out a Chinese knock-off of an iconic little open-air buggy: the Mini Moke!
It may be small, but this 100 km/h (62 mph) fun-mobile would be a blast around the city or cruising to the beach.
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The Moke, based on a post-war British jeep-like vehicle, has become an iconic and eye-catching little buggy over the years. Now the US-based MOKE America has opened up a rental option called WeMoke to make these weird little electric vehicles more accessible to anyone looking for a unique driving adventure.
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Remember those fun little Jeep-like Moke cars from the heyday of 1960s open-top fun-mobiles? Just months after landing a $55M funding deal, MOKE International is bringing them back to the US for the first time in decades with its new MOKE Californian model.
Update: Moke just announced their U.S. pricing today ($41,900) (!!) which is about $10k higher than it is in Europe.
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In a deal purported to be worth US $55.1 million, EV Technology Group has agreed to purchase an additional 50% of MOKE International, which will boost its stake to 67.6% of the company. The deal is intended to rapidly expand MOKE International’s reach, producing and delivering more of its iconic classic MOKE-inspired electric vehicles.
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Remember that fun little Jeep-lookin’ Mini Moke from a post-WWII British military vehicle development program? It’s been rehashed in several incarnations since, but the most recent (and most stateside) is Moke America, which wants to get Americans to switch from big gas guzzlers to fun little open-top electric cars.
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As we depart the Paris Mondial Motor Show, we’ve seen all matter of electric vehicles from Tesla and the big legacy carmakers, new ebikes that use new 2170 cells all the way down to Chinese scooters. But one big surprise was seeing the iconic Moke mini Jeep-like electric vehicles in not just one but two different booths in a variety of shapes and sizes, including a speedy, AWD version with…