The Mobius will have an uphill task

The big news in the motoring industry last week was about the entry of Mobius car, a model currently being assembled at Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers in Thika.

This news took everyone many years back when we had the Nyayo Pioneer.

But we hope the car will have better luck than the Pioneer.

If the promoters are to be believed, this is the motoring answer to the legendary Safari boot.

Those who have been around long enough know that Safari boot was touted as the ‘boot that says you know Africa’.

According to the manufacturers, Mobius can seat eight passengers, including the driver and has a large cargo space.

This is a good thing for the rural folks, although just like the Toyota Probox and many other contraptions that run in rural Kenya, it will have to carry much more than the manufacturer’s advice.

If we overload boats in Lake Victoria, why not this new monster?

By simplifying the designs through the elimination of non-essential parts like power steering and air conditioning, the team at Mobius has drastically reduced the cost of the vehicle.

They hope it will help small business owners in need of affordable transportation get their wares to and from the market places.

The brains behind the project, Joel Jackson maintains that rural entrepreneurs need durable, functional and affordable cars to support a range of transport businesses, such as mobile medical care, delivery of good, public transport and school bus routes.

He insists this is the car for rugged roads.

It is my sincere hope that he has spent enough time and travelled the width and breadth of this country to feel the rugged roads in Africa.

Mobius is banking on its reported efficient fuel consumption and easy maintenance to establish it as the ultimate cars for rural folks.

The manufacturers better keep a proper check at that efficiency gauge.

Kenyans can be quite unforgiving and the Kenyan motorist would be the last person to find a slot in Jesus’ platoon of disciples.

At Sh950,000, Mobius is significantly cheaper than the lowest priced showroom models in the market that cost more than Sh2 million.

Mobius is, however, expected to face an uphill task in a market that is underpinned by consumer preference for imported second-hand cars.

There are currently around 800,000 cars on Kenyan roads.

And 90,000 units more are sold every year.

The retail price is at par with what many Kenyans pay for used cars, making quality and features such as fuel consumption, availability of spares and after sales service critical for consumers.

Assembly in Kenya will be a boost especially if the car becomes a household name like Toyota.

It may not be in their plans now, but it is quite possible that the biggest sales pitch will not be by employees of Mobius, but by the first kits in the market.

We will scrutinise the performance of the sold units for not only its performance but even the way the car engines roars to life.

As for the looks we can excuse it if they traded the looks for more reliability.

@tonyngare