Founded by Joel Jackson in 2009, Mobius Motors is the first carmaker in Kenya that has built 500 affordable and durable vehicles for African roads that serve the mass market. The founder says the cars are made "to serve the African mass market, we have built a car around the needs of local consumers."
The company vision sums it all:
"Mobius Motors designs, manufactures, and sells durable, affordable vehicles for Africa mass market. We are reimagining the car; designing our vehicles around common road terrain, transport usage and consumer income profiles across the region."
With its first-generation Mobius II car launched in Kenya in 2015 retailing at KES 950,000 (US$9,500) and a subsequent one to be launched in 2017 retailing at KES 1,300,000 ($US10,300), the company aims to accomplish the following:
- Provide people with affordable cars that reduce the reliance on cars imported from countries, such as Japan, Europe, and India.
- Provide people with durable cars that can tackle the uneven rural roads that are degraded with cracks and potholes.
- Provide a car that has readily available parts that are affordable.
- Provide a car that can carry goods for long distances on uneven roads.
So, is Mobius II worth purchasing? This question is difficult to answer, however, in explaining both the advantages and disadvantages of the car; it would be easy to make an informed decision.
Advantages
- At the price of KES 950,000 (US$9,500) for the first-generation Mobius II launched in 2015 and a subsequent one to be launched in 2017 at the price of KES 1,300,000 ($US 1,300), the car is more affordable than imported cars.
- The car is made of a tabular steel frame. This makes the car extremely durable, especially when driven on uneven rural roads.
- The spare parts of the car are readily available in the country. This makes it easy to maintain the car.
- With a ground clearance of 35 cm and a rated load of 500kg, the car is high enough to ensure that it can carry many people and driven without difficulties in uneven rural roads.
Disadvantages
- The car does not have windows and doors to ensure that there is ample security. This makes it impractical to leave belongings in the car because of theft.
- The car does not have essential features, such as air conditioner. For people who live in cold places, they may find it difficult to keep warm in the car.
- With the car omitting some features, such as air conditioner, it is considered expensive at the price of KES 950,000 (US$9,500).
However, with the introduction of the new Mobius II in 2017 that is expected to retail at KES 1,300,000 ($US 1,300), the company has promised that it will include features, such as windows, doors, and air conditioning system.
The photo below that was released by the company in 2016 shows the new Mobius II with new features that include windows and doors.
The response from the potential customers from the company Facebook page, indicate that people are happy with the style of the car and the inclusion of all the new features.
One person who was praising its style on Facebook said that the style of the car is good because it is better than its predecessor because of the inclusion of windows and doors.
If the new Mobius II is able to include the new features, it is possible that many people in the country will like it to a point where they will want to purchase it.
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