2 more Slate events added: LA and San Diego

[1yeliab_sufur1]

 

[JImmy]

Hoping they are coming up the west coast and will hit Portland/Seattle soon.

 

[medichill]

Thanks for the info! I'm in Philly but have a trip to LA planned for that time and I'm excited to see one in person.

 

[cadblu]

Looks like no one from this group attended the San Diego event. Assuming only locals who are vaguely familiar with Slate, BMX / skate fans, or regulars at that establishment attended. Perhaps we can learn more from the upcoming LA show.

I would think Slate can do better with planning these events. I’m anxious to see one in person. How about keeping it simple? Just park one in a shopping mall as they sometimes do in closed malls around town. That’s all we need. Don’t need all the fanfare of a themed, ticketed event like BMX-ing or Skating to decide if it’s right for my lifestyle.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I think it's a great idea:

"Try not to be so negative all the time. Why don't you offer some constructive criticism?"

 

[EVfun]

Hoping they are coming up the west coast and will hit Portland/Seattle soon.

The Greenwood Car Show (Seattle) in late June would be a place for lots of people to see the Slate. Every year they have cars from the brass era to brand new on display, including EVs from the past and present.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Part of me wonders (and I have zero evidence for this aside from tradional OEM behavior) if Slate will start generating either excitement or despair on 22 June. Because that's about six months from promised first delivery.

Six months before general availability is right around the time OEMs typically start rolling off the first production validation builds off a new production line. So if we're really lucky, Slate will not only release a bunch of hard information (finally), but also possibly show a Slate or two that rolled off the actual production line.

But I won't get excited until I start reading a bunch of glowing owner experience reports on this forum.

 

[KevinRS]

Looks like no one from this group attended the San Diego event. Assuming only locals who are vaguely familiar with Slate, BMX / skate fans, or regulars at that establishment attended. Perhaps we can learn more from the upcoming LA show.

I would think Slate can do better with planning these events. I’m anxious to see one in person. How about keeping it simple? Just park one in a shopping mall as they sometimes do in closed malls around town. That’s all we need. Don’t need all the fanfare of a themed, ticketed event like BMX-ing or Skating to decide if it’s right for my lifestyle.

The west coast team seems to have their focus on getting it in front of people who have never heard of it at these events, and it seems to be failing. They seem to generate zero buzz with them.
Early events were attended by social media posters who recorded and posted videos of the Slate, basically free marketing, everything in the past 8+ months on the west coast seems to have got none of that.

 

[medichill]

I attended the event on Saturday May 30th in LA and it was disappointing. They had it set up in a parking spot on the street with a barrier so you couldn't open the doors. There was a guy who spent the entire time telling people to get out of the street (a good idea since there was traffic). The swag bag was from the company that wants to install the electric charger for your house. You could get a tiny Slate sticker and pin. Oh, and a ticket for ice cream from a company they hired.

I put a deposit down a year and a half ago. Now i'm being asked for a $300 deposit and I can't open the door to sit inside? 👎

Also, nearly every question was answered with "This is pre-production and everything could be different". It was disappointing to drive and hour to see a vehicle I want to buy and just get to walk around 3 sides of it.

 

[Nito]

They did an event literally in my city and I didn't hear about it until after checking the forums. I wonder if these events are what they consider the reservation holder's " exclusive first chance to sit in a Slate ". Up until they announced the preorders i thought it was whatever but its not the best look to ask for an extra $250 when these events are really all we've seen from the company so far.

 

[sodamo]

I put a deposit down a year and a half ago. Now i'm being asked for a $300 deposit and I can't open the door to sit inside?

Wow, the rest of us couldn’t reserve until end of April, just 13 months ago. Being so special, no wonder you feel slighted.

 

[sodamo]

Funny I guess how some of us will never see a Slate until we pick it up, yet we are very excited and can’t wait to preorder sight unseen and untouched while a few others are more anxious to air their sense of entitlement.

 

[SparkYellow]

They have been generous in letting auto journalists and influencers enter the cab and film in a controlled environment. There may have been incidents where members of the general public ripped things out? I am cool as long as the final version is ready for day to day driving. If I can make it to one of these events, I will bring a tape to measure the hood and roof. 😁

We are so used to the traditional way of car buying where we walk around the lot, sit in any car, and touch whatever we want. All for free with zero commitment. Many don't even leave contact info for the dealership to pursue further engagement. Buying from a new make is different. I wonder how Tesla and Rivian handled their pre-production showings?

 

[cadblu]

We need to keep in mind many of those early prototypes were full-scale, hand made mock-ups. Meaning they were not able to withstand the rigors of the public pushing, pulling, slamming doors and tailgate, cranking windows, etc. If you ever attended a big Auto Show like NY Javits Center or LA Convention Center you know what I mean. Even one of the journalists reviewing a Slate pulled on a mock door handle, and it came off in his hands.

As Slate begins to enter the next stage of production verification, we’ll see more events with the near-final product, and be able to judge build quality, fit, and finish for ourselves And soon these units will be available for test drives. Excited for the next phase!

 

[sodamo]

I wonder how Tesla and Rivian handled their pre-production showings?

Excellent question, looking forward to responses. Maybe even add in Maverick and others.