Scotland’s Munro EV has landed a new sales and leasing deal for its all-electric, all-terrain 4×4 production vehicle.
Munro and Wyre – an all-electric vehicle sales and leasing specialist handling US utility markets, oil field operations farming, forestry and mining – have signed a deal that secures exclusive rights for the sale and distribution of the Scottish-built EV in the US and Canada.
Over 3,000 vehicles will be built in East Kilbride for shipment to the USA by 2025 and it marks what could be the start of world-wide opportunities for the company.
North America a “key market”
Munro CEO Russ Peterson said: “North America is a key growth market for Munro, and we’re pleased to be able to partner with Wyre to realise our ambitions ahead of our original timeline.
“We’re dedicating half of our 2023 production to left-hand-drive Munro vehicles developed specifically for the US market, which Wyre will deliver to customers throughout the year.
“This opportunity demonstrates that Munro has the potential to be a global player in the automotive industry, with a product that is clearly desirable around the world.”
A back-to-basics off-roader
The deal is seen as significant for Wyre as it establishes what UK managing director Rebecca Hansen describes as “a new and substantially important foothold” for its operations in the UK and US electric vehicle sales and leasing markets.
She said: “We see the Munro 4×4 EV as a serious and compelling opportunity for a wide range of our customers across the USA, and one which will see us go from an initial order book of 50 vehicles next year to 500 in 2024 and around 2,500 in 2025.
“This an important win for us. The US is a massive market for this type of serious off-roader which Munro Vehicles intend to service by establishing facilities in the States.”
The Munro 4×4 is a truly unique concept, bringing together the latest EV and off-road technologies
Munro’s design, development and manufacturing operations was originally set up by young entrepreneurs Russ Peterson and Ross Anderson at their base in Dalmarnock.
They recently opened an assembly operation in nearby East Kilbride ready for full scale production to begin.
Munro Vehicles aims to fill a gap in the market for a back-to-basics electric off-roader. Once the production line is at full capacity, Munro expects to meet demand of up to 5,000 vehicles per year by 2030.
It is expected that eventually, should sales exceed factory capacity in Glasgow, some completely knocked down (CKD) vehicle kits could be shipped to the United States for assembly.
Jen Walls, director of the Electric Vehicle Association Scotland, said: “The Munro 4×4 is a truly unique concept, bringing together the latest EV and off-road technologies. It’s simply an amazing vehicle and I’m sure the company can look forward to a high level of world sales success.”
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