Aftermarket for Slate - will there be a lot of parts / accessories?

[skidoofast]

This has come up a lot, Aftermarket will make accessories

do we really think a lot of companies will make aftermarket accessories for these?

my thought is the first couple of years NO, if the first couple of years they only produce 150,000 per year there are only a few accessories that would move enough to offset the costs of molds, tooling, ect

if Slate can keep the accessories affordable that could also tame aftermarket development

also as in accessories I’m talking Topper, rear seats, bumpers, lifts - not cup holders, wraps, roof racks

 

[Dorbiman]

I think you might be overestimating how many units need to sell to prop up an aftermarket community. There were less than 41,000 Pontiac GTOs made between 2004 and 2006, and there were (and still are) tons of aftermarket mods and parts for that car. Aftermarket companies will work to fill a niche if possible.

 

[Adam W]

Slate has said they're using a lot of off-the-shelf components already, which means it's probably really standardized stuff. I bet a lot of existing aftermarket parts could be made Slate-ready with simple bracket modifications or other minor tweaks.

 

[The Weatherman]

Plus, with the rapid proliferation of 3D printing and injection molding I think we will say a substantial number of aftermarket options. That said, this thing has to be what we hope it is and make a reasonable inroad into its market. 🤞

 

[1yeliab_sufur1]

lol ima make it a full square body

 

[Trace26]

With Slate saying they plan on releasing the CAD drawing, that will make aftermarket parts way easier to develop. Half the work in aftermarket development is reverse engineering and prototype fitting. With the right CAD model you can go from a complete digital design to final product very quickly.
I'm hoping to see some body kits considering the panels unbolt so easily.

 

[Daemoch]

I think you might be overestimating how many units need to sell to prop up an aftermarket community. There were less than 41,000 Pontiac GTOs made between 2004 and 2006, and there were (and still are) tons of aftermarket mods and parts for that car. Aftermarket companies will work to fill a niche if possible.

The only caveat with that though is you already had a massive following for the line ("GTO") and the manufacturer (GM), plus, a LOT of the parts were interchangeable with thousands of other GM products going back decades, so the buying market was already assured. In the beginning this is going to be more like trying to find (any) parts for a Daewoo today.