The boxy Mk1 ute offers unapologetic utility—and aims to be built in Scotland.
- Scottish electric SUV aims for global sales—including in the United States.
- The Munro Mk1 uses a single-motor drivetrain with traditional a 4×4 transmission.
- The startup automaker claims the Mk1 turns out up to 375 hp in top-spec form and return 186 miles of range.
Scotland is well known for many things: the caterwauling harmonies of the bagpipes, the more melodious sensation of a good Scotch whisky—and the nation’s life-limiting enthusiasm for deep-frying pretty much all types of food, most famously the Mars Bar. But cars haven’t been on the list of Scottish achievements for a long time, with the country’s last auto plant, the former Chrysler factory in Linwood, closing in 1981. No models have been produced in volume in Scotland since then.
Now a new EV startup has ambitions for a Caledonian car-building renaissance. Munro is named after the term for a Scottish hill or mountain over 3000 feet in altitude, and has shown an innovative single-motor electric SUV that is claimed to combine zero tailpipe emissions with go-anywhere utility. The aim is to build a working vehicle, one suited for agriculture, forestry, and mining. The company acknowledges that something so rugged and eco-focused is likely to also have a strong appeal to lifestyle buyers.
Munro’s first product is the MK1, which you are seeing here in the form of a production-intent prototype. It works, but it’s definitely not finished yet—don’t get too sniffy about the variable door apertures and only partially finished interior. The styling is the work of a young Brit called Ross Compton who, you might not be entirely surprised to hear looking at his creation, formerly worked for Bollinger. There is a strong hint of the B1 SUV in the MK1’s bluff lines and flat front end, but also elements of both the original Land Rover Defender and Tesla’s much-delayed Cybertruck.
Unlike most concepts, this one isn’t designed to look pretty—which is probably just as well—rather to prove how something very similar could be put into production. Beyond the EV powertrain itself, the MK1’s engineering is thoroughly traditional, much of it clearly inspired from the time when SUVs were just UVs. It has a steel ladder frame, aluminum bodywork, and live axles at both ends. These are driven by a two-speed transfer case, which in turn is powered by the centrally mounted electric motor. Think of it as an old-fashioned 4×4 powertrain that just happens to be an EV.
The company acknowledges that something so rugged and eco-focused is likely to also have a strong appeal to lifestyle buyers.
The Munro MK1 will be a five-seat station wagon, although the company admits that other variants including a pick-up truck are likely to follow soon afterwards. Three versions are planned. The most basic Utility gets a 295-hp motor and a 61.2-kWh battery pack, this giving a targeted range of up to 140 miles under Europe’s generally optimistic WLTP testing protocol, plus a 7.6-second 0-60 mph time. Above this a long-range version combines the same motor with a bigger 82.4-kWh battery, upping the predicted range to 186 miles but keeping the same performance. At the top of the tree the Performance version combines a brawnier 375-hp motor with the larger battery, with this giving the prospect of a slightly terrifying 4.9-sec 0-60 mph time. All versions are limited to 80 mph.
Regardless of version, the MK1 has a three-part 480-volt battery pack, with one cell pack between the chassis rails and two smaller ones flanking it. Both AC and DC charging are supported, although the latter at a relatively modest 90-kW rate which equates to what Munro reckons will be an ‘A-to-A’ duty cycle, with MK1s returning to a base every night to be recharged.
Control gear is under the hood, although this still leaves space for two top-accessed storage compartments at the front, one on each fender. At the rear is a vast plywood-lined loadspace with its volume maximized by the squarest possible dimensions; Munro says it can accommodate a 47-inch by 32-inch European standard size pallet. All versions can carry up to 2200 lbs of cargo, and also haul up to 7700 lbs of braked trailer. The engineering team say they are aiming for a curb weight of just 4740 lbs.
The on-paper off-road specifications are impressive. Munro says the MK1 has 18.9 inches of ground clearance, an 84-degree approach angle, 51-degree departure angle, and 31.6-degree ramp-over angle. It will have a locking center differential as standard, to get both axles turning in unison, with the extra cost option of front and rear locking differentials. Air springs will be optional, although these are intended to improve stability when towing rather than to improve off-road performance.
The prototype’s cabin is where it feels furthest from being finished, with a non-airbag steering wheel and a lack of any headlining or carpeting. Even when finished it will be utilitarian enough to be cleaned out with a hosepipe, but the company acknowledges a production version will need at least some sound insulation. All the MK1’s glazing is completely flat—another throwback to the original Land Rover—with this both helping to productionize it, but also meaning that trucks can be more easily repaired in remote areas. Similarly, many components can be unbolted for direct replacement, this including the fiberglass wheel-arch protectors and both front and rear lighting units.
Munro is hoping to build a limited run of around 100 MK1s next year, with at least some of those vehicles coming to the States for evaluation. Beyond that, the company’s ambition is to create an all-new factory in Scotland that would be capable of making up to 2500 cars a year. But if a full production version does come to the US, Munro CEO Russ Peterson confirms the plan would be for North American models to be built over here, dramatically reducing import taxes. UK pricing has already been announced, with the basic Utility spec version starting at £49,995—that’s just over $60,000 at current exchange rates. If Munro could get anywhere near that pricing for a US version, it’s not hard to see this no-nonsense electric workhorse finding love on our side of the Atlantic.
Mike Duff European Editor Mike Duff has been writing about the auto industry for two decades and calls the UK home, although he normally lives life on the road.
Keyword: Curiously Bollinger-Like EV Rolls Out from UK Startup Munro