Burren
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
- 5,182
- 7,760
No, anyone can buy a Lambo unless it’s they’re limited models of 3-10, which they rarely do.
What vehicle do you drive?
- Thread starter Marmac
- Start date
ToeMissile
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
- 3,580
- 2,377
Burren
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
- 5,182
- 7,760
It’s way more nuanced than that, which is super fucking annoying and cringey, but those two OEMs are in a position of power to control their markets.
Fucker
Log Wizard
- 14,715
- 35,338
Gotta hand it to Ferrari trying new distribution techniques. Selling the Purosangue at Mazda dealerships is a fresh approach.
Siliconemelons
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
- 13,256
- 20,581
- 12,152
- 66,003
Haus
I am Big Balls!
- 16,615
- 67,799
I can see the potential for this as an EV. Yes, I would like to see an ICE equivalent from somewhere, but for that we just have to get the US to loosen it's regulatory asshole enough to let those wonderfully cheap Toyota trucks in.
Not a huge fan of the Slate's limited cargo/towing capacity for a truck, but it's also not trying to offset/compete against full size fords and chevys. It's positioning for the traditional "Small to mid sized pick up" market.
If you want to tinker with their configurator...
- 3
Sledge
Vyemm Raider
- 1,092
- 2,620
Would love to see Trump remove some regulations and tell Toyota they can sell that cheap truck here if they build them here.
- 2
- 1
Burren
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
- 5,182
- 7,760
Pretty great idea if they can pull it off and it’s reliable.
- 2
- 1
Cad
scientia potentia est
- 28,376
- 61,483
Its the usual cycle of these cheap bare bones cars. "We hate all the new electronics and so on in the new cars!" Someone comes out with a basic one "wow what a piece of shit, I'm not buying it."I can see the potential for this as an EV. Yes, I would like to see an ICE equivalent from somewhere, but for that we just have to get the US to loosen it's regulatory asshole enough to let those wonderfully cheap Toyota trucks in.
Not a huge fan of the Slate's limited cargo/towing capacity for a truck, but it's also not trying to offset/compete against full size fords and chevys. It's positioning for the traditional "Small to mid sized pick up" market.
If you want to tinker with their configurator...
Same as the iPhone SE, people complain about the cost of new phones, they make a basic one for half the price, nobody buys it.
- 12,152
- 66,003
Ya, the mistake is that you need to spend that savings as the manufacturer on quality construction and materials. "This car is built to a 20 year standard life instead of most manufacturer's 5 year life!" "We took out the pointless electronics, and spent that money on better plastics, better build processes, and easy-to-fix engineering!" You need to offer people a status alternative to all the fluff they've pulled out of it.
- 1
Cad
scientia potentia est
- 28,376
- 61,483
I agree but if you do that it won't be cheap. It'll just be a durable work vehicle that costs just as much and people still won't buy it.
Haus
I am Big Balls!
- 16,615
- 67,799
I think Slate has a good take on that. They're right that infotainment systems are usually outdated quickly and often a high cost component. Looking at their configuration methods and the dash layout it looks like you could literally slap in your own components (bluetooth speaker of your choice, tablet/phone mount) and go.
My Caddy is a perfect example. Big fancy Cadillac Cue infotainment system in it, but now the only thing it offers me that I can't get better in Android Auto is being a radio receiver, and I can stream all the local radio stations I give a shit about.
Also, it looks like if you have the "SUV body kit/seats" you can install it yourself, and roll it back into truck config if/when needed. Which I could see being a nice utility. Assuming you have space to store the body kit components you aren't using at the time. All this appeals to me, but I also realize I'm not your average consumer. I like something I can tinker on, change, and modify. For those wanting the iPhone-esque experience with an EV, there is Tesla....
Cad
scientia potentia est
- 28,376
- 61,483
Yea, I think we went through this before. You want a product that is durable, built to last, hand-repairable, etc and I agree with you, that would be a cool product. I don't know if it fits what I want/need out of a vehicle but I understand the appeal.
I think it's a small market though which is why no company has sprung up to fill that need. The development and marketing costs aren't going to justify the small purchases, because the people who want that type of vehicle also aren't going to pay a premium for it, which is what it would take.
I'm not arguing against why you want that type of vehicle, I'm saying the market is small and thats why you don't see it.
- 1
Haus
I am Big Balls!
- 16,615
- 67,799
I agree with that, it wouldn't shock me in the least to see Elon decide to try to buy or duplicate this form factor at some point for Tesla where it would just be a sub-model of Tesla filling this market niche. Call it the Tesla Flex with a standard chassis/mechanical layout, and customizable modules for the body and other accessories, but stepping away some from his concept of the fully autonomous FSD style vehicle. But also Tesla, like many other manufacturers don't want to produce an honestly durable vehicle, for the same reason pharma companies don't want to actually cure a disease. There's more money to be made if they need to buy a new vehicle every 5 years.
- 2
Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 10,643
- 11,455
Was excited until i saw 150 mile range which is likely optimistic perfect circumstance.
- 1
Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 10,643
- 11,455
Siliconemelons
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
- 13,256
- 20,581
Kinda surprised at the slate’s slated range and battery size… thats like the range and size of my Mach-e for the “big one” and i would expect, perhaps this truck should weigh less than a ford escape that they put a battery in and mushed it into a “shape” of sorts