This looks like a 4-8 person SUV, which would be inherently more expensive to run regardless of the costs. I would imagine that the kind of vehicle most useful for an impoverished area would be a bus (as in, the kind of vehicle most third world people travel in already). Toyota and Mercedes already manufacture small, rugged buses that seem to make it to the third world market.
Further, it's hard to beat the price of a used American school bus - $2000-$5000 for a thirty-person vehicle. American school districts discard a lot of buses after a few years use due to safety regulations. Oddly enough, this vehicle class already emphasizes safety and economy. That's why you see them in Central America frequently, along with the Toyota and Mercedes mini-buses.
Also, large manufacturers already have large parts networks through-out the world. It seems unlikely a start-up could duplicate that.