Mobius Motors

What Mobius Motors does

Mobius Motors is a Kenya-based automotive manufacturer that designs, assembles, and sells vehicles purpose-built for the African mass market. Founded in 2011 by Joel Jackson and headquartered at Sameer Business Park, Mombasa Road in Nairobi, the company operates a purpose-built production facility with body shop, paint shop, general assembly, and final-line inspection capability under internationally recognized quality controls. Its core products are the Mobius II — a rugged SUV with a proprietary space-frame chassis mounted on a longitudinal ladder chassis, a VVT-calibrated engine, and custom-developed suspension for degraded rural roads — and the larger Mobius 3, which adds a 160 kW turbocharged engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, 4WD, and a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Both vehicles carry a 3-year/60,000 km warranty and are priced at used-sedan levels through local manufacturing that avoids Kenya's import duties.

The company's business model is primarily hardware sales through company-owned Sales & Service centres in Kenya, supplemented by a direct-to-consumer pre-order model where customers place deposits for factory-built, specification-customized vehicles. After-sales service, genuine spare parts (stocked in a central Nairobi warehouse), and warranty work form a secondary revenue stream. Customer financing is intermediated through partnerships with multiple banks and leasing companies, including Aone, while an ambassador referral program (KES 50,000 per Mobius 3 sale) drives word-of-mouth acquisition. Target segments are African mass-market consumers and local transportation entrepreneurs using Mobius vehicles for public transport, mobile medical care, goods delivery, and family transportation.

Mobius has raised approximately $6 million in disclosed equity across rounds in 2013, 2015, 2018 (two rounds), 2020, and 2022, with development finance from OPIC and participation by PanAfrican Investment Co., Playfair Capital, Techstars, Kepple Africa Ventures, and TechNexus. In March 2025, Mobius Motors Kenya was acquired by Silver Box, marking a change of ownership. The company remains privately held, operates exclusively within Kenya, and has signaled intent to expand to Kenya's Western Region and a second Mombasa facility, though broader continental expansion has not materialized in the available data.

Name

Mobius Motors

Legal name

Mobius Motors Limited

Website

https://mobiusmotors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mobius Motors designs, manufactures, and sells purpose-built SUVs (Mobius II and Mobius 3) for the African mass market out of its Nairobi facility, selling directly to consumers and transportation entrepreneurs at used-sedan price points.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Manufacturing

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (3363), Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing (33621)

SIC

Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714)

akta.pro primary industry

Chassis Modules & Corner Assemblies (Complete Corner/Chassis Module Integration) (IMACAIAH)

Keywords

• Affordable SUVs
• African automotive manufacturing
• Rugged utility vehicles
• Vehicle financing services
• Automotive assembly Kenya

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: Primary revenue from designing, manufacturing, and selling vehicles (Mobius 2 and Mobius 3) built specifically for the African mass market. Vehicles are sold through company-owned Sales & Service centres in Kenya with pre-order and direct sales options.
2. After-sales Service & Parts: Revenue generated from maintenance, repairs, and genuine spare parts sold through Mobius Service Stations. Central Nairobi warehouse stocks all spare parts for Mobius 2 vehicles.
3. Financing Partnerships: Commission-based revenue through referral partnerships with banks for vehicle financing and leasing companies (including Aone) for vehicle leasing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mobius Motors designs, manufactures, and sells purpose-built SUVs (Mobius II and Mobius 3) engineered specifically for African road and climate conditions, produced at its Nairobi production facility and sold at used-sedan price points. The company also provides after-sales service, genuine spare parts, and financing assistance through partner banks and leasing companies to individual consumers and transportation entrepreneurs in Kenya.

Product overview

Mobius Motors designs, manufactures and sells vehicles built specifically for the African mass market. The company offers two distinct vehicle models: the Mobius II (an rugged SUV designed for durability on rural roads, launched first in 2015 and updated in 2019) and the Mobius 3 (a larger, more advanced SUV addition to the line-up with premium features). Both vehicles are manufactured in a purpose-built production facility in Nairobi, Kenya. The company provides end-to-end customer support including spare parts distribution, warranty coverage (3 years or 60,000 km), and financing assistance through partner banks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mobius 3: Rugged off-road SUV built for African terrain with advanced drive and infotainment features. Features 160 kW turbocharged engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, 4WD, 3-year/60,000 km warranty.
• Mobius 2

Products and services

• Mobius II A rugged SUV designed, manufactured, and sold in Kenya, built specifically for the African mass market. Features a robust steel space-frame mounted on a longitudinal ladder chassis, a proven engine with VVT technology, and a custom-developed suspension system. Intended for the African consumer who needs an affordable, durable vehicle capable of handling rough roads with heavy loads, priced at used-sedan levels.
• Mobius 3 A large off-road SUV built to traverse variable African road terrain, from everyday city driving to off-road adventures. Features a turbocharged 160 kW engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, 320 Nm torque, selectable 4x4 driving modes, advanced infotainment with 12-inch touch screen display (GPS, WiFi, USB, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, Mirror-Link), and comprehensive safety features. Backed by a 3-year/60,000 km warranty.
• Mobius After-sales Service & Genuine Parts

Quantifiable outcome

• Vehicles priced at used sedan levels through local manufacturing and purpose-built design
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Banks (unspecified)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobius Motors cooperates with multiple banks to provide vehicle financing options to customers. The sales team assesses customer needs to match them with appropriate banking partners for financing arrangements.
• Aone (Leasing Company)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobius Motors cooperates with Aone and other leasing companies to offer vehicle leasing options to customers. As each customer has different needs, the sales team connects customers with the most appropriate leasing company.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing: Nigerian-owned automaker that designs and manufactures cars, buses, and SUVs in Africa for African buyers. Closely comparable to Mobius because it pursues the same 'made in Africa for Africa' thesis with locally manufactured vehicles targeting the price-sensitive mass market.
• Kiira Motors: Ugandan state-backed vehicle manufacturer developing passenger vehicles and buses in East Africa. Directly comparable to Mobius as a regionally competing African vehicle OEM with a similar mission of building affordable, locally manufactured transport solutions.
• Hottrax Motors: Kenyan automotive assembler producing affordable vehicles for the East African market. Comparable to Mobius as a domestic Kenyan vehicle assembler targeting price-sensitive buyers with locally built products, though significantly smaller and less established.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Motors: Indian multinational that has long targeted entry-level, rugged passenger and commercial vehicles in African and other emerging markets. Comparable to Mobius as a broad incumbent shipping affordable, durable vehicles into the same price-conscious customer segment.
• Mahindra & Mahindra: Indian OEM with deep presence in utility vehicles and SUVs sold across Africa. Comparable to Mobius in rugged-SUV product positioning and Africa go-to-market, though at vastly larger scale and as an incumbent exporter rather than a local manufacturer.
• Dacia (Renault Group): European value-brand specializing in affordable, no-frills vehicles for emerging markets. Comparable to Mobius on the value-engineering philosophy — strip out non-essentials to hit price points that mass-market buyers can afford — though Dacia is a global incumbent rather than a local manufacturer.
• Maruti Suzuki: India's largest passenger vehicle maker, dominant in affordable small cars. Comparable to Mobius as the canonical example of how a low-cost, locally manufactured vehicle platform can address mass-market buyers — the playbook Mobius is attempting to replicate in Kenya.
• BAIC Group: Chinese state-owned automaker with growing assembly and sales footprint across Africa. Comparable to Mobius as a foreign OEM targeting African buyers with rugged, affordable SUVs, though BAIC competes through imports/assembly rather than African-rooted design.

Regional players

• Stallion Group: Nigeria-based conglomerate with vehicle assembly and distribution operations across multiple African countries. Comparable to Mobius as a regional automotive player operating vehicle assembly in Africa, though it focuses on assembly of established brands rather than proprietary design.

Emerging players

• BasiGo: Kenya-based electric bus manufacturer and operator advancing African e-mobility. Comparable to Mobius as a Kenyan-based vehicle company tackling African transportation through a locally adapted, purpose-built approach, though BasiGo focuses on commercial electric buses rather than mass-market passenger SUVs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mobiusmotors
• Facebookfacebook.com/Mobius-Motors-111882365531022

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mobius Motors