Back in 2013 we reported on the OX, a flat-pack truck designed for Africa. Fast-forward three years and the OX is ready to go into production.

The Global Vehicle Trust OX, designed by Professor Gordon Murray

THe OX is the result of several years of hard work by Sir Torquil Norman’s Global Vehicle Trust and designer Gordon Murray. The flat-pack design means that six flat-packed OX’s can be shipped in one 40ft high-cube shipping container. Three trained technicians can put together an OX in approximately 12 hours, so assembly time is fairly minimal.

The OX is only 4.3m long — significantly less than a short wheelbase van or a pickup. Despite this, the load area is big enough to hold eight 44-gallon drums, three Euro pallets or 13 people. Maximum payload is 1,900kg — roughly double most medium vans and pickups.

The Global Vehicles Trust OX, designed by Gordon Murray.

As it’s primarily designed for Africa, the OX has to be able to perform well off road. Although it’s two-wheel drive, the OX has been engineered to ensure that a the front (drive) wheels are always well loaded with weight, providing good traction in all conditions. GVT believe that the OX’s all-terrain ability is “as good, or better, than a four-wheel drive across a range of surfaces”.

The OX is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine that’s taken from a Ford Transit. The engine and running gear should be reliable and relatively straightforward to service, albeit not as simple and indestructible as older non-turbo diesel engines might be.

GVT founder Sir Torquil Norman says that feedback from aid agencies and contacts in Africa has been positive. Sir Torquil is now focused on finding funding to put the OX into production. There’s no word on the likely price, but low cost was one a key element of the design brief, so I’d expect the price to be significantly lower than a European van or pickup.