Blank slate narrative is a mistake, and that needs to change

[SichuanHot]

Not really, I would never buy a Tesla new or used - yechhh.

New sedans - nope - CUV or SUV or truck please.

Slate has a great price point considering it's better than the Chevy Bolt EUV at $35,000.

Maybe if the Chinese EV cars under $20K can make it into the US, that would be the best price point!

I'm simply listing potential cross competitors that parents would be looking at if they're planning to buy their kid a first car. The Bolt EV starts at $28600, not $35k. If we're talking strictly EV, the Nissan Leaf is also a competitor.

 

[metroshot]

I'm simply listing potential cross competitors that parents would be looking at if they're planning to buy their kid a first car. The Bolt EV starts at $28600, not $35k. If we're talking strictly EV, the Nissan Leaf is also a competitor.

Ah, I see....

If I had a kid that needed a truck, I'd look at a used Ford Maverick.

About the same size as a Slate but very fuel frugal.

 

[Rocket13foxtrot]

I have to say I disagree with the op's position in general. I think the marketing is fine, and I think Jay Leno was honestly a little unprepared... whether that was his fault or Slates. I watched that mostly so that I could get a take on what it felt like to drive because I'm big on tactile feel and haptics... I don't want to feel like I'm driving a golf cart. It doesn't have to feel expensive, but it does need to feel well made/engineered and responsive for me. As an example, I don't want to feel the steering column bending or the steering wheel warping in my hands as I'm moving it. Unfortunately, Jay didn't mention much about that, and most of what was discussed is on the Slate website or in other videos.

I do agree that consolidating some of the messaging to an elevator pitch concept may be beneficial, because people who are interested will go to the website and do their own research. People who are not interested will see it driving around after it comes out and either become curious or care less.

I also agree with the notion that this boils down to price. I think it's awesome to have a minimalist vehicle as long as it's not the same price as a vehicle that is not minimalist.

I will resist and oppose any efforts to church up this vehicle as much as I can. Stick to your guns Slate.

 

[KevinRS]

I don't get the "Slate has failed on price" comments.
Slate never made some promise on price that they broke. It was quoted as either mid-20s, or under 20 after federal incentives from the beginning. For many, the full $7500 in federal incentive wasn't available anyway, due to making too much or too little.
If anything blame your politicians for the incentives ending.

The Bolt EV "starts" at $28995 in theory. The one good thing is that number does include the destination charge.
When I search, every available unit has at a minimum the comfort package at $995 and apparently GM is adding a $500 surcharge to cover the cost of covering the longer warranty required by CARB rules.

Basically it's an even 30k for non-carb states, and 30.5k for carb states.
If Slate doesn't happen I'll probably have it on my list of cars to compare, but I don't need a back seat, and the truck bed is a plus for me.

 

[AZFox]

Slate has already failed on the price factor, which was its main selling point.

Ho do you know that? Do you have a crystal ball or something?

We don't know
- what the new 2027 vehicles it will compete with will cost.
- what used cars will cost that far in the future.
- what the Slate's price will be.

 

[AZFox]

The Slate is supposed to be reliable, uncomplicated, cost-effective transportation that you can configure precisely to your preferences using accessories.

We'll find out if that works according to plan.

If so, the vehicle will come to be Widely Understood rather than being the New And Unfamiliar Concept it is now.

If and when that happens, it will essentially have no peer.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

As it stands right now, Slate has already failed on the price factor, which was its main selling point.

Ho[sic] do you know that? Do you have a crystal ball or something?

We don't know
- what the new 2027 vehicles it will compete with will cost.
- what used cars will cost that far in the future.
- what the Slate's price will be.

The Slate is supposed to be reliable, uncomplicated, cost-effective transportation that you can configure precisely to your preferences using accessories.

We'll find out if that works according to plan.

If so, the vehicle will come to be Widely Understood rather than being the New And Unfamiliar Concept it is now.

If and when that happens, it will essentially have no peer.

You trimmed an important part of SichuanHot's point, that in the market Slate has to compete against other offerings within its price range.

As it stands right now, Slate has already failed on the price factor, which was its main selling point. When it starts being cross shopped with used Teslas, new Civics, Corollas, Elantras, or whatever else make for great first cars for new drivers that parents are willing to buy, there's a lot of competition.

When the context is included, his statement makes more sense.

Features and options may not mean much to you but that outlook cannot be reasonably put on everyone shopping for a vehicle. I mean, when you go grocery shopping I have a sneaking suspicion that you (or anyone) would not want to pay more to get less apples or bananas or whatever other examples you can come up with.

 

[metroshot]

I don't get the "Slate has failed on price" comments.
Slate never made some promise on price that they broke. It was quoted as either mid-20s, or under 20 after federal incentives from the beginning. For many, the full $7500 in federal incentive wasn't available anyway, due to making too much or too little.
If anything blame your politicians for the incentives ending.

The Bolt EV "starts" at $28995 in theory. The one good thing is that number does include the destination charge.
When I search, every available unit has at a minimum the comfort package at $995 and apparently GM is adding a $500 surcharge to cover the cost of covering the longer warranty required by CARB rules.

Basically it's an even 30k for non-carb states, and 30.5k for carb states.
If Slate doesn't happen I'll probably have it on my list of cars to compare, but I don't need a back seat, and the truck bed is a plus for me.

Agree !

Slate is perfect for those that want to fully customize their EV truck.

All other vehicle manufacturers will have added features and profit packages tacked on.
My $50,000 Ford BEV had a package level that I did not agree with, but I had no choice.
Same with the $75,000 Ford Lightning I did not want at that trim because I could not get the base model.

If the OP thinks Slate has failed then the Slate is not for them.

I think Slate pricing is spot on!

 

[E90400K]

You hit the nail on the head. The price is what initially grabbed my attention and interest in the Slate. The lack of features makes sense for a barebones transportation tool given it's priced accordingly. I'm sure many could compromise with no radio, no power windows, no sound insulation, halogen headlights, no speakers, no seat cushions, etc as long as it's priced under $20k. Unfortunately we already know that ship has sailed and the base Slate is likely to be in the upper 20s to probably touching 30k.


Different markets. You're comparing something meant to be a toy for people who can afford something like splurging on a Corvette while having several other vehicles in their driveway. Slate is trying to be a daily drivable EV for people to commute through town to do their daily tasks.

Agree. But we all should be clear on this, the Slate was never priced at under $20K. It was subsidized at under $20K.

The subsidies were always set to sunset in 2032 under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Since the $7,500 tax credit was never a part of the profit financials for Slate (the tax credit was between the Feds and the person buying a Slate), Slate was set to be no better financially with or without the tax credit in place other than possibly selling all of the 150,000 units theoretically able to be produced by the Warsaw factory. So, the question remains is there enough of a market for a barebones 2-door small pickup truck. Even at a subsidized "under $20K" price, no one will ever know if that was enough of a perceived value to sell 150,000 units per year, year after year.

IIRC CEO Barman now says Slate has 150,000 reservations, which is good, but not all of those are going to turn into sales in the first full year of production (2027). With no intention to get this thread into party-sided (partisan) political discussion, it is reasonable to expect (based on political history) both houses of Congress to flip to Democrat Party control in the 2026 mid-term elections and that one of the first orders of business will be to reinstate the EV tax credit. My read of the political climate is that is what will happen and Slate will once again by the time production hits full rate in early to mid 2027, the Slate Truck will once again be a subsidized price under $20,000.

 

[cadblu]

The Bolt EV "starts" at $28995 in theory. The one good thing is that number does include the destination charge.
When I search, every available unit has at a minimum the comfort package at $995 and apparently GM is adding a $500 surcharge to cover the cost of covering the longer warranty required by CARB rules.

I know this has been discussed at length, but there was a time when you could do a ‘factory order’ with certain auto manufacturers and reserve a fully stripped version for the advertised “starting price.” You would probably wait ~ 6 months for delivery, but for those willing to wait it was worth it. And it meant not taking ‘forced’ add on packages from the dealer or port installed options. Not so easy to do anymore.

 

[E90400K]

I don't get the "Slate has failed on price" comments.
Slate never made some promise on price that they broke. It was quoted as either mid-20s, or under 20 after federal incentives from the beginning. For many, the full $7500 in federal incentive wasn't available anyway, due to making too much or too little.
If anything blame your politicians for the incentives ending.

The Bolt EV "starts" at $28995 in theory. The one good thing is that number does include the destination charge.
When I search, every available unit has at a minimum the comfort package at $995 and apparently GM is adding a $500 surcharge to cover the cost of covering the longer warranty required by CARB rules.

Basically it's an even 30k for non-carb states, and 30.5k for carb states.
If Slate doesn't happen I'll probably have it on my list of cars to compare, but I don't need a back seat, and the truck bed is a plus for me.

But the way the IRA of 2022 was written, the $7,500 could be taken off at the point of sale, so there was no minimum income required to take advantage of the full $7,500 tax credit; there were maximums on income though.

 

[KevinRS]

But the way the IRA of 2022 was written, the $7,500 could be taken off at the point of sale, so there was no minimum income required to take advantage of the full $7,500 tax credit; there were maximums on income though.

I have never found any evidence of that. If you took a lease, the financing agency was able to use the credit, but otherwise, everything I saw up until the credit ending said it could only be used to reduce income tax liability. I went through the numbers, and if taking only the standard deduction and having nothing else reducing your tax, you had to make around $75k as a single filer to have that $7500 in taxes. Also if filing single, you had to make less than $150k to qualify at all.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I have never found any evidence of that. If you took a lease, the financing agency was able to use the credit, but otherwise, everything I saw up until the credit ending said it could only be used to reduce income tax liability. I went through the numbers, and if taking only the standard deduction and having nothing else reducing your tax, you had to make around $75k as a single filer to have that $7500 in taxes. Also if filing single, you had to make less than $150k to qualify at all.

But wasn't the credit eligible to be spread out over multiple years?

 

[E90400K]

I have never found any evidence of that. If you took a lease, the financing agency was able to use the credit, but otherwise, everything I saw up until the credit ending said it could only be used to reduce income tax liability. I went through the numbers, and if taking only the standard deduction and having nothing else reducing your tax, you had to make around $75k as a single filer to have that $7500 in taxes. Also if filing single, you had to make less than $150k to qualify at all.

https://www.volvocarsmissionviejo.com/blog/current-ev-tax-credits-incentives-and-more

Focus on:
"Advantages: Immediate Savings and Ruduced Upfront Costs

By allowing you to claim the Clean Vehicle Tax Credit at the dealership, the point-of-sale EV credit provides instant savings and lowers your upfront costs. This makes it easier for you to own your dream EV. Moreover, you may also get more value from the point-of-sale credit than you would during tax season. Unlike the traditional nonrefundable EV credit, this version enables you to redeem the full amount of credit available at the point of sale. You don't need to pay back the difference even if your tax burden is less than the credit."

Just one reference. There are many others. Just ask Google.

 

[AZFox]

When the context is included, his statement makes more sense.

No, it doesn't.

I took "used Teslas, new Civics, Corollas, Elantras, or whatever else" into account, and even gave them emphasis by mentioning them first, above of the Slate's unknown price.

Unless you have a Crystal Ball That Sees Into The Future you don't know what new 2027 competing models will be available, what the prices of those 2027 models will be, what will happen to used car pricing, and what the price of a Blank Slate will be.

It's ridiculous to say Slate has "failed on the price factor" when you don't know what the price factor is!