We all love a Moke, right? I mean, what's not to love: take all the character original Mini and strip away any unnecessary extras like windows, doors and a roof (and, let's be honest: any semblance of safety that the Mini actually possessed, which wasn't much) and you had the perfect holiday hack for summer fun and making life-long memories in the sun.
Which is probably why the nameplate still exists today, albeit - since 2023 - in an all-electric form.
The move to electrification was a popular one (and saw Moke become "the first heritage automotive brand to go 100 percent electric" as it likes to say), and the company (Moke International) has expanded significantly since then. So much so that it has now unveiled a new wholly owned manufacturing facility in Leamington Spa, UK.
Coinciding with the Moke name's 60th year, the new facility is expected to enhance production efficiency, improve product quality, and bolster Moke's capacity to meet increasing global demand for its Electric Moke. Production targets for this year exceed 500 units, destined for markets including the USA and the Mediterranean.
Late last year the Electric Moke became the first EV from a low-volume manufacturer to receive approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), adding to its approval from both the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This saw the UK-based brand become the first and only low-volume EV manufacturer in the US to hold approvals from all three regulatory bodies there, opening up sales markets across all 50 states.
Earlier this month, Moke International hosted an exclusive reveal event in Leamington Spa, attended by retail partners from Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, to "celebrate British engineering" and Moke's expanding international presence.
"It’s great to be bringing back production to the UK, and indeed the car manufacturing heartland in the Midlands, where the Moke was originally designed by Sir Alec Issigonis," said Nick English, Executive Chairman at Moke International.
"As we now celebrate 60 years of Moke, we are thrilled to be marking such an exciting chapter, enhancing our craftsmanship and innovation while laying the foundation for future success."
English says the new facility underscores the company’s dedication to British engineering and innovation within the EV sector, and that the expansion has already created dozens of new clean-tech jobs, tripling the company's workforce.
The Mini Moke was conceived in the early 1960s by Sir Alec Issigonis, father of the iconic Mini the Moke was based on. Initially designed as a military utility vehicle, it quickly gained popularity in fashionable resorts and became associated with figures like Brigitte Bardot, The Beatles, and James Bond.
Production of the original Moke ceased in 1968 in the UK, although it soldiered on in Australia until 1981 when production was transferred to British Leyland's subsidiary in Portugal. Production finally ground to a halt there in 1993.
In 2012 China's Chery Automobile and Jaguar Land Rover formed a joint venture to revive the brand (although ownership of the Moke trademark was under dispute), with production starting in China that year, and assembly taking place in the USA, UK, and France by local distributors.
The brand's ownership has been "complicated" over the years, with many disputes over who actually owns the name, however, Moke International (who 're-revived' the brand in 2020) firmly states that it is the owner of "the original 1964 European ‘MOKE’ trademark and over 100 other related marks, registered worldwide".
