Two new electric off-roaders – Munro Mk1 and Fering Pioneer – embody the spirit of adventure in sharp-edged, minimal suits
The Munro Mk1 and Fering Pioneer are designed to go anywhere, electrically. We check out the next generation of utility vehicles
The Land-Rover Defender has a lot to answer for. Not the new, shiny, SUV from JLR, but the brawny original, with its agricultural ride and cliff-edge styling. A little bit of the Defender’s off-road DNA was scattered to the winds once the Defender finally ceased production in 2020. Some of it landed with companies who continue to outfit and upgrade the timeless original, and some with new firms who have taken direct ‘inspiration’ for their own products.
The latter includes the likes of the Ineos Grenadier and the Bollinger B1 and B2, both of which could be mistaken for a Land-Rover down a muddy track on a dark night. Now there are two more contenders for new-era replacements, both of which use electrification as their selling point.
Munro Mk1
The Munro Mk1 is a new machine from Munro, a Scottish company that claims it’ll be the country’s ‘first light vehicle to enter production in more than four decades’. Boasting a number of impressive endurance stats, including a 50-year lifespan, the Munro Mk1 is being pitched at industrial sectors that need reliable, all-weather, go-anywhere transport for small teams of workers.
The design is suitably brutish and stripped down. The first few examples will be hand-built, with plans to expand production to around 2,500 vehicles a year. Founders Russell Peterson and Ross Anderson named the company for the word defining a Scottish mountain over 3,000 ft. Back in 2019, they set out to electrify the sector with a simple but durable machine that would have widespread appeal and utility.
Fering Pioneer
Also on the cards is the Fering Pioneer, an electric ‘expedition vehicle’ designed by engineer Ben Scott-Geddes, whose credits include work for Ferrari and McLaren. Scott-Geddes’ other passion is adventuring, and the Pioneer is intended to be a long-haul EV capable of crossing any kind of terrain. It shares a similar aesthetic to the Munro Mk1, proving that Land-Rover must have got it right all those years ago.
Munro Mk1, from £49,995, deliveries in 2023, Munro-EV.com
Fering Pioneer, price tbc, Fering.co.uk
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Cosmoprof 2024: the beauty innovations discovered by Wallpaper*
Cosmoprof invited Wallpaper* to discover the latest innovations in beauty, from tech devices to natural skincare
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
‘The Small Hours’ bathroom collection by Patricia Urquiola for Salvatori is an ode to having time for yourself
Patricia Urquiola's new bathroom collection pushes Salvatori's formal aesthetic with an unprecedented combination of stone and steel
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Hermès celebrates the materiality of earth in theatrical Milan Design Week 2024 spectacle
The Topography of Material is Hermès Milan Design Week 2024 display at La Pelota, focused on an installation exploring the materiality of earth and celebrating new and archival objects
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Vauxhall Corsa Electric brings the modest model upmarket
Car-share convenience or the burden of automotive ownership? The Vauxhall Corsa Electric goes high-tech to help sway the undecided
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Mighty Kia EV9 is the brand’s biggest electric vehicle. How does it scale up to its rivals?
We take the Kia EV9 – now in showrooms, in a wide range of versions – for a spin to see how the revitalised company handles the design of a big SUV
By Guy Bird Published
-
Toyota bz4X SUV is the marque’s first pure electric vehicle
The Toyota bz4X is our first chance to explore how the long-standing masters of mass automobile production make an EV
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Rivian R2 and R3 downsize a format to increase the EV company’s standings
The Californian manufacturer has revealed the new Rivian R2 and R3, all-electric SUVs that combine practicality with functional elegance
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Microcar madness: three new ultra-compact electric city cars
These two-seater electric microcars are the ultimate errand machines, designed for short hops and small spaces, all with a minimal footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2023, as selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
What were the best four-wheeled offerings of 2023? Transport editor Jonathan Bell takes us through the year’s most intriguing automobiles
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Morgan Motor Company reveals its new all-electric prototype
The Morgan XP-1 is the British manufacturer’s latest attempt at electrifying its iconic hand-crafted lightweight sports machines
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Volvo EM90 is the brand’s all-electric first foray into the Multi-Purpose Vehicle
So far only China will get the new Volvo EM90 MPV; we think it has global potential
By Jonathan Bell Published