Don’t worry, it’s still 2019. Despite its ’40s cutesy retro styling, this new—yes, brand-new—Morris JE is a thoroughly modern thing. Because it’s fully-electric.
Dig even deeper and you’ll find yet more modern tech. That vintage-looking body is actually made from carbon fiber to keep weight to a minimum, which helps with the projected range of 320km+.
The design emulates the Morris J-Type from 1948, although the newly reborn Morris Commercial says “the JE is not intended to be a replica or a continuation of the original Morris J-Type, but a reimagining of the original, iconic design.”
For loading and unloading purposes, there’s full-width doors at the back and a sliding side door on the nearside—that’s where you can tell it’s been designed in Britain, because the sliding door will actually open on to the pavement in left-hand-drive countries (*cough* Mini Clubman *cough*).
Morris Commercial reckons the JE can carry a one-ton payload, and that its bed is big enough to fit two standard European pallets. All that carbon doesn’t come cheap, though—prices will reportedly start at around £60,000 (around P3.91 million). Ouch.
Still, with the JE having a modular chassis underneath, Morris says it’s highly adaptable for future derivatives. Could we see a Morris pickup, minibus, or even a camper soon? Watch this space...
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
