KevinRS
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Kevin
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2025
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 2,160
- Reaction score
- 2,987
- Location
- California
- Vehicles
- Nissan Versa
I don't think anyone's laughing. They can see that Slate is funded, has real design validation models coming off a nearly complete line.
They may be waiting to see what the customers say, but they may also in the background be preparing some kind of contingencies for if Slate goes the way Tesla did. They know the tide may turn on EVs, as quickly as the next election. If the general public starts seeing the rest of the world getting low cost, low maintenance, cheap to run EVs, mostly from China, and the US has Slate, and ... multiple base model SUVs that may be somewhat cheap but are still overdone with tech, and hard to get in that base model, they will want to have at least prototypes to announce to calm demand for opening up to those chinese models.
Ford is pushing that the Maverick is the lowest cost pickup MSRP hard, while they still can. When Slate starts shipping, I expect them to shift to the tech included and the range, and maybe advertise the upcoming Fathom more.
Even Toyota seems to be somewhat subtly reacting, with their BZ commercials: When it comes to EVs, we aren't starting with a blank slate while showing their grey vehicle.
No one's laughing, they already missed out on the customers that went to Tesla, before that the imports when they were stuck on big gas guzzlers.
They may be waiting to see what the customers say, but they may also in the background be preparing some kind of contingencies for if Slate goes the way Tesla did. They know the tide may turn on EVs, as quickly as the next election. If the general public starts seeing the rest of the world getting low cost, low maintenance, cheap to run EVs, mostly from China, and the US has Slate, and ... multiple base model SUVs that may be somewhat cheap but are still overdone with tech, and hard to get in that base model, they will want to have at least prototypes to announce to calm demand for opening up to those chinese models.
Ford is pushing that the Maverick is the lowest cost pickup MSRP hard, while they still can. When Slate starts shipping, I expect them to shift to the tech included and the range, and maybe advertise the upcoming Fathom more.
Even Toyota seems to be somewhat subtly reacting, with their BZ commercials: When it comes to EVs, we aren't starting with a blank slate while showing their grey vehicle.
No one's laughing, they already missed out on the customers that went to Tesla, before that the imports when they were stuck on big gas guzzlers.
