If you added EVERY feature, add-on and accessory.....

[danielt1263]

The SUV conversion for me is more of a fun future possibility.

This is the real value add that Slate provides over other vehicles, and it's something that today's consumer knows what to do with...

 

[Gozer]

Sadly now we are arguing about market price sensitivities again when the original point of the thread was to make the most impractical and expensive build you could. My preferred build is just about $27k and I'm pumped for it!

I know this is simply an intellectual exercise and it isn't malicious. I was only reminded of a similiar post that was indeed intended to be malicious.

I have been waiting to replace my 1997 RAV4 with an EV but no one has offered anything that resonates with me until Slate. I like the idea of the Blank Slate but I have always been an SUV guy with a Suzuki Samurai, a two door Isuzu Trooper, and the RAV4 all being great to own. I was never going to pay $60K+ for a Rivian or Cybertruck and I won't ever go to a legacy dealership ever again.
My 1997 RAV4 was $24K, top of the line version. I asked Grok how much that would be in 2027 dollars and the answer was $48K ! I remember that car loan kicking my ass. These days I don't need the four doors or luxury amenities. I'm looking forward to a Slate SUV for under $33K out the door, in six to eight months. WOOHOO

 

[phidauex]

I know this is simply an intellectual exercise and it isn't malicious. I was only reminded of a similiar post that was indeed intended to be malicious.

No no, I'm not coming after you, I'm just lamenting that no one has been able to beat my $46K absurdity yet! Lets give those trolls something to chew on, haha.

 

[Trace26]

No need, take your pick:

• Slate SUV is $31,400
• Nissan Leaf is $31,535 + dealer fee
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE is $36,600 + dealer fee
• Chevrolet Equinox EV is $36,795 + dealer fee
• Kia Niro EV is $41,195 + dealer fee
• Subaru Uncharted is $41,245 + dealer fee

The Slate is the least expensive, but it also has the least features, and adding accessories to try to reach parity with one of the others can easily bump its price up to the point where one of the others is a better value.

Of course, there's the problem of actually finding a base model on a lot. Then there's the negotiation aspect and having to go through a dealership for purchase and repairs... The Slate has stuff going for it other than price...

I'm not saying that Slate SUV is a poor choice, but it's not a "typical consumer" kind of choice, and that's what the guy in the video is talking about... the typical consumer.

I think Slate will find its place, and I even think they will at least come close to their 80k per year target (once you include fleet sales), but I seriously doubt it will ever be ubiquitous.

The Slate SUV starts at $29,950
If I was in the market for an SUV I'd buy a Chevy Bolt.

 

[danielt1263]

The Slate SUV starts at $29,950
If I was in the market for an SUV I'd buy a Chevy Bolt.

All of the prices I listed include the delivery fee. So $31.4k is correct.
The Chevrolet Bolt is $28,995 + dealer fee. So less than the Slate SUV, but more than the Slate Truck. That said, there is only one Bolt available near me and it's $31.3k + a $1,200 dealer fee, and $100 doc fee. So over $1k more than the base Slate SUV.

 

[Trace26]

All of the prices I listed include the delivery fee. So $31.4k is correct.
The Chevrolet Bolt is $28,995 + dealer fee. So less than the Slate SUV, but more than the Slate Truck. That said, there is only one Bolt available near me and it's $31.3k + a $1,200 dealer fee, and $100 doc fee. So over $1k more than the base Slate SUV.

Gotta, didn't realize you were adding destination.
It's too bad you don't live near Houston
https://www.knappchevrolet.com/new-Houston-2027-Chevrolet-Bolt-LT-1G1FY6EV4VF101324

 

[danielt1263]

Gotta, didn't realize you were adding destination.
It's too bad you don't live near Houston
https://www.knappchevrolet.com/new-Houston-2027-Chevrolet-Bolt-LT-1G1FY6EV4VF101324

No problem for me. I need something that can tow my boat and a Bolt can't do it. That's why I'm getting a Slate truck...

The next cheapest new EV that can tow my boat is $40k, so even with a bunch of accessories, I'm still paying less than the next cheapest alternative. I'm aiming for about $30k OTD, but there are some accessories that I am thinking about that still don't have a price, and I'm still unsure of installation fees. We'll see if I can hold myself to that, but I might end up at $30k plus TTL.

 

[AZFox]

I don't think that is entirely true - most of the accessories are priced very aggressively, and a lot less than similar bundled options packages with other automakers. for example, the $99 tow package, or the wheel/tire packages.

TL;DR: Mister Bright Side says: Even if individual accessories aren't value-priced there's value-added from ability to add accessories à-la-carte and/or over time.

The Blank+Accessories model has two distinct advantages over a legacy Option Package model. You get what you want, and only that, and you can add and accessory at any time. These have value.

Legacy manufacturer's option packages bundle features you may not want. You don't need to upgrade to a package that includes options you wouldn't otherwise choose to get some particular feature.

Years ago a couple I know decided to get a Honda Odyssey minivan ans their next vehicle. The wife only voiced a single must-have option: Heated Seats.

They discovered that Honda only offered heated seats in the very top Odyssey trim level.

Considering a Dorman Seat Heater Kit costs $69, that means they spent thousands more than necessary to get heated seats that could have cost very little as an à-la-carte option.

Another advantage is the ability have your Slate "Evolve In Your Driveway".

If you'e originally on the fence about an accessory you don't need to decide right away. Drive your Slate for a while without the accessory and get it later if you decide it's worth adding (or when you have the means, if you don't have the means when ordering).

But wait, there's more...

People get bored with their vehicles, especially if they only have one, over the years.

Having ability to periodically "freshen" a Slate (with a fresh wrap, a lowering kit, interior accessories, or whatever) will make the car more satisfying to own in the long term.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

TL;DR: Mister Bright Side says: Even if individual accessories aren't value-priced there's value-added from ability to add accessories à-la-carte and/or over time.

The Blank+Accessories model has two distinct advantages over a legacy Option Package model. You get what you want, and only that, and you can add and accessory at any time. These have value.

Legacy manufacturer's option packages bundle features you may not want. You don't need to upgrade to a package that includes options you wouldn't otherwise choose to get some particular feature.

Years ago a couple I know decided to get a Honda Odyssey minivan ans their next vehicle. The wife only voiced a single must-have option: Heated Seats.

They discovered that Honda only offered heated seats in the very top Odyssey trim level.

Considering a Dorman Seat Heater Kit costs $69, that means they spent thousands more than necessary to get heated seats that could have cost very little as an à-la-carte option.

Another advantage is the ability have your Slate "Evolve In Your Driveway".

If you'e originally on the fence about an accessory you don't need to decide right away. Drive your Slate for a while without the accessory and get it later if you decide it's worth adding (or when you have the means, if you don't have the means when ordering).

But wait, there's more...

People get bored with their vehicles, especially if they only have one, over the years.

Having ability to periodically "freshen" a Slate (with a fresh wrap, a lowering kit, interior accessories, or whatever) will make the car more satisfying to own in the long term.

Brother Fox,
Ye seem to be preaching to the choir, unless you are prescribing the evangelical bullet points for broad distribution?

 

[AZFox]

Brother Fox,
Ye seem to be preaching to the choir, unless you are prescribing the evangelical bullet points for broad distribution?

Wasn't thinking of it that way. More like I was thinking there'd be people who haven't yet thought it through (obviously not you, @Doctors Do Little).

I think a lot of people who see what they judge to be high accessory prices could be forgetting that there's considerable value added by the ability to add accessories à-la-carte and/or over time.

À la carte costs more at restaurants, too.

The forum is chock-full of people comparing some Slate Maker configuration to other vehicles -- most of which I think are over-computerized Transportation Appliances -- and I think that's an apple-to-orange situation.

Among the reasons that those other vehicles are different is their choose-it-now-or-never Options Packages that often (usually?) bundle features you may not want, but need to pay extra for, to get some feature(s) you do want.

It doesn't hurt to remind people. Repetition is the mother of learning, after all.


In the long run accessory pricing will sort itself out via the laws of supply and demand.