I think there's room in the market for a back to basics car company that takes out all this bs, goes back to crank windows and all that crap and sells new vehicles for an affordable cost with a good warranty.
It would probably crush today.
Edit: I got like 400 responses saying "slate" ok I get it you can stop
This is the entire concept behind Slate vehicles. They aren’t dead yet… but it’s not crushing.
People like brands and they want to show off. They talk shit about spending money on all the bells and whistles but it’s not like someone is telling you that you can’t drive a used, $5,000 F-150 or a ‘98 Tercel…. But as long as people would rather pay for a new Chevy Sonic over a used Honda Accord (same price, horrible choice) they will keep building cars to sell to idiots.
Came to say exactly this.
Rivian was originally supposed to be this but then early funders had different ideas, and people wanted a Tesla competitor so they went up market.
But this lady just needs a used Hyundai.
I work in the Detroit area in automotive. I’ve seen all major EV pickups in a complete tear down. Rivian is, by far, the best made EV on the market. Their build and design quality far exceeds Tesla in almost every aspect. They should be a Tesla destroyer but fanboys will be fanboys and some people just want a taste of Elon’s dick I guess.
I’m talking about the vehicle. You’re talking about software. Tesla vehicles are junk compared to Rivian. Their software and charging network are superior. FWIW tesla has like the 4th best FSD system out there… so pretty much their only flex is, “we have the best chargers!”
The end of the EV credit hurt them, like all North American EV makers. They have a ton of pre-orders and early interest was good, but it’s coming down to crunch time and the jury is still out on whether or not their product is viable.
From what I understand early market test results have been mixed. They were forced to make some big design changes, like adding back air conditioning, after customers rejected the idea of a completely bare bones vehicle.
I think the biggest challenge is that they built a lot of promises around the $25,000 platform and global supply costs are constantly moving up. They have yet to deliver a vehicle (first, select customers are supposed to take delivery in December) and are a bit behind in the original promised delivery timing. There is a concern that they are not going to be able to keep the price point or the timeline.
10% would cover the AC… realistically I think they are going to be closer to $35k. And then by the time you accessorize/customize you’re probably still looking at a $40k-$50k vehicle. I haven’t seen a lot about accessories yet but I’m guessing they are going to be a big part of their plan to recoup profit in the early stages.
and the problem is 50k on a 1st gen new compoanies vehgicle with no backing and no experienced platform, is a risk, noone shuld take, you know how many people ive known who bought Ruvians only to regret it? ill tell you 3 of my firneds bought rivians, 2 faile dhorribly and one is still going string but they are moving to a toyota EV SUV.
The problem with a '98 Tercel is its a '98 Tercel. That's nearly 30 years of wear and tear, a near guarantee it will require repairs at some point with an unknown aftermarket situation, and hundreds of thousands of miles with an unknown maintenance record. Even if it's running perfectly well right now, its still on its last legs. I want something with long term reliability going forward, not something on the tail end of the bathtub curve.
Most cars are an expense, not an asset. More expensive cars are just more expense. I’ve got a 2012 accord with 200k on it and a 23 Sequoia with around 90k. The sequoia cost 4x to buy, costs 2x to operate daily. It looks better/newer but both get me to where I need to go. That’s the point, yes? So then why pay 4x? Vanity. Ego. “Keeping up with the Joneses”. You can choose whatever used car suits you for this argument.
Slate is not really what OP is describing. Slate’s strategy is to sell a car as a platform where the base platform is cheap but the expectation is that the buyer will customize the car with add-ons.
The car isn’t designed to be the most affordable while still good quality, it’s designed toto be easily worked on. Those aren’t the same thing.
This is the entire concept behind Slate vehicles. They aren’t dead yet… but it’s not crushing.
Wtf are you talking about? They didn't even release their truck yet. It's not out. How could they be "crushing" when they haven't even released their product yet? And you've used the fact they they "aren't crushing" as the basis of your opinion.
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u/burge4150 9h ago edited 3h ago
I think there's room in the market for a back to basics car company that takes out all this bs, goes back to crank windows and all that crap and sells new vehicles for an affordable cost with a good warranty.
It would probably crush today.
Edit: I got like 400 responses saying "slate" ok I get it you can stop