Actively considering cancelling reservation.

[RetiredOnPaper]

Happy New Year, what is guaranteed is 2026 will be exciting.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Happy New Year, what is guaranteed is 2026 will be exciting.

Barring something dramatic, Slata Clause will plop a plastic truck under my tree in 12 months.

 

[Letas]

To me their marketing team seems completely out of touch with a vast swath of potential buyers.

I doubt it's lack of skill on PR Director Jeff Jablansky's part. I think it might be because, like you say, the personnel can relate to pickleball and cookies better than they can relate to the desires and concerns of someone looking for a workhorse small pickup.

I put on my "marketing hat" and chewed up this one for a bit, and it almost seems like 1 of 2 things is happening. Either...
#1: Slate is still trying to figure out their target market. The Slate kind of appeals to a lot of people, in a jack-of-all-trades, master of none situation. Perhaps they are trying to not over-index too hard with one market and in-turn alienate other markets.

or... the more likely answer.... #2. Slate knows that their truck won't appeal to large percentages of individual markets, by design. If they over-index heavy on the blue collar, truck driving market, they will likely not pull enough % from that market alone to survive. If they do the same with the young-family starting market, same story. Their marketing "shorts" have touched on a wide demographic. Monster trucks, to pickleball, to weekend warriors, dog lovers, lake goers, art teachers, etc, have all gotten some love.
Perhaps their entire strategy is just to skim across the entire market, pulling a fraction of buyers from each group. This is further evidenced by the ad nauseum discussion here about what does compete with the Slate. The Maverick, Equinox EV, Model Y, Nissan Leaf, Cybertruck, etc. Have all been argued to death about whether they do or don't compete with the Slate, and I think the answer is they all do, depending on the buyer.

My last ramble of a thought here, I think the Slate's marketing campaign feels disheveled and underwhelming, because as humans we all want to be seen and marketed to. Like it or not, when a company puts someone who looks like me, looking cool, doing something I do (or want to do), I will feel seen, and want to achieve that (by purchasing the car). It is the essence of marketing.

 

[cadblu]

#2. Slate knows that their truck won't appeal to large percentages of individual markets, by design…. Perhaps their entire strategy is just to skim across the entire market, pulling a fraction of buyers from each group. It is the essence of marketing.

Well stated. I wanted to respond to a few of your excerpts. I fully agree with your 2nd point.

Slate knows:

A) it’s a light duty truck
B) it won’t appeal to construction crews
C) it can’t handle heavy payloads,
D) it’s not designed for off-road users,
E) it’s not meant for those needing heavy tow capability.

Given these shortcomings, I must admit they are doing a rather commendable job in marketing this truck to the widest possible audience. Using classic marketing techniques, they are truly ‘casting a wide net.’ And given the wild colors of the wraps they illustrated in the Slate maker, they are “selling the sizzle, not the steak.” 🙂

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I really do look forward, whether Slate wins or loses, to the inevitable retrospective interviews or book, where Slate insiders tell us all the details of the journey from concept to first delivery. Why decisions were made, who the target customer was, etc.

Sure, we have the basics - like the founding mission of the company, the design guidance to ruthlessly remove content that wasn't absolutely critical to basic functionality. But I bet there's a great book here.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I really do look forward, whether Slate wins or loses, to the inevitable retrospective interviews or book, where Slate insiders tell us all the details of the journey from concept to first delivery. Why decisions were made, who the target customer was, etc.

Sure, we have the basics - like the founding mission of the company, the design guidance to ruthlessly remove content that wasn't absolutely critical to basic functionality. But I bet there's a great book here.

You're anticipating the Amazon Prime mini-series already, eh? (That would be too obvious, I guess, but Jeffe B. is clever.)

 

[E90400K]

The CEO is in a tough spot WRT early announcement. Market forces sort of pushed it, politics is trying to destroy it. Her problem now is to drive enthusiasm for the product for the next 6 months. After that If all goes reasonably well, when production begins, it will drive itself.
There is a lot of forces trying to kill the Slate;
Legacy dealers. China. Legacy auto (once known as the big three). Tesla.
If even modestly successful, this will shake the auto industry to the core.
I'm an electronics guy but grew up in Detroit with at least 90% of friends and family are in the auto industry. They were afraid of Tesla, they are terrified by a small pickup under $30000. Barman knows this.
The Q&A was needed. If you read some of the posts appearing in here, a lot of misunderstanding about EVs in general and Slate in particular exists.

I can only say that Slate picked the fight. They think they see a market opportunity and hopefully their bet is correct. I'm a big proponent of Made in the USA. All four of my cars were manufactured in one of the following locations, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan. My motorcycle was manufactured in Ohio. My tractor in Pennsylvania. But I don't think the median buyer in the market really cares about country of origin, sadly.

I don't see Slate as the next Tesla by any definition or likeness. Tesla had a lot of factors that helped it get traction and take ground, which mostly was legislation intended to force EV adoption. That unique legislative and investment environment is long gone in 2026, and to add there is lots of competition for the EV buyer that did not exist 15 to 20 years ago.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I can only say that Slate picked the fight. They think they see a market opportunity and hopefully their bet is correct. I'm a big proponent of Made in the USA. All four of my cars were manufactured in one of tge following locations, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan. My motorcycle was manufactured in Ohio. My tractor in Pennsylvania. But I don't think the median buyer in the market really cares about country of origin, sadly.

I don't see Slate as the next Tesla by any definition or likeness. Tesla had a lot of factors that helped it get traction and take ground, which mostly was legislation intended to force EV adoption. That unique legislative and investment environment is long gone in 2026, and to add there is lots of competition for the EV buyer that did not exist 15 to 20 years ago.

All 3 of mine were also built in USA, and none are legacy Big 3! Go figure…

 

[E90400K]

All 3 of mine were also built in USA, and none are legacy Big 3! Go figure…

Two of mine are, two are not. My bike is a Honda. "Made in the USA" is embossed right into the engine block casting. Neat fact... the engine is the only motorcycle engine in the world that was built on the same engine assembly line as an automobile engine.

The two non-domestic brand were built in the same factory 11 years apart from each other and share the same last three digits of their VINs. Lol.

 

[Basenji703]

She answered the surfboard question because someone asked it, someone on this forum in fact. That may be something few of us care about, but it was something none of us or even She knew the answer to.

She didn't know the answer to my question, but someone did. If the answer wasn't yes, it was a deal killer for me. Love the idea of the Slate, but I will wait a bit and see how they turn out before I commit. I think I can keep my 2007 Odyssey surf mobile running until then.

 

[Basenji703]

100%

And I liked the surfboard question. It was a serious question for the person who asked it. I share the concern about how much stuff can fit in the enclosed cargo bed. But I seriously don't care about towing.

So who's to say what a serious question is? 🤔

Thanks, it was a deal killer for me.

 

[KevinRS]

I can only say that Slate picked the fight. They think they see a market opportunity and hopefully their bet is correct. I'm a big proponent of Made in the USA. All four of my cars were manufactured in one of the following locations, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan. My motorcycle was manufactured in Ohio. My tractor in Pennsylvania. But I don't think the median buyer in the market really cares about country of origin, sadly.

I don't see Slate as the next Tesla by any definition or likeness. Tesla had a lot of factors that helped it get traction and take ground, which mostly was legislation intended to force EV adoption. That unique legislative and investment environment is long gone in 2026, and to add there is lots of competition for the EV buyer that did not exist 15 to 20 years ago.

While they may not be another Tesla, they do seem to be setting off some disruption already. Before they announced, there was no sign at all that anyone in the established industry was going to try to sell any kind of small truck in the US. Now Ford has announced their vague maybe small truck, other companies have announced stuff that might maybe might end up sold in the US etc.

 

[KevinRS]

She didn't know the answer to my question, but someone did. If the answer wasn't yes, it was a deal killer for me. Love the idea of the Slate, but I will wait a bit and see how they turn out before I commit. I think I can keep my 2007 Odyssey surf mobile running until then.

When I heard that one, my thought was that most would probably set up a rack and drive with the board on top of the truck.

 

[bloo]

I don't see Slate as the next Tesla by any definition or likeness. Tesla had a lot of factors that helped it get traction and take ground, which mostly was legislation intended to force EV adoption. That unique legislative and investment environment is long gone in 2026, and to add there is lots of competition for the EV buyer that did not exist 15 to 20 years ago.

Knowing the people who buy Teslas, no one could force them to do anything. The car was always much more a status symbol than an environmental statement. They didn't give a damn about global warming, but instead wanted to show how fast they could go in "quiet sophistication." I doubt the incentives helped much with this group, as they could afford a Tesla without them.

Now that the big T isn't so cool, someone I know with money to burn bought a Mach-E.

Slate isn't angling for the bouge. Their market is firmly middle class - which the Tesla never was. The same guy who bought a new '88 Civic two-door hatch would buy a Slate today.

 

[KevinRS]

Knowing the people who buy Teslas, no one could force them to do anything. The car was always much more a status symbol than an environmental statement. They didn't give a damn about global warming, but instead wanted to show how fast they could go in "quiet sophistication." I doubt the incentives helped much with this group, as they could afford a Tesla without them.

Now that the big T isn't so cool, someone I know with money to burn bought a Mach-E.

Slate isn't angling for the bouge. Their market is firmly middle class - which the Tesla never was. The same guy who bought a new '88 Civic two-door hatch would buy a Slate today.

Correct. Tesla kept teasing that they were going to have a lower cost model, but it never happened, then it turned into self driving taxis.