Now that the dust has settled...

[Letas]

Let me preface this by saying I am a big fan of the idea. My reservation is in, and I don't plan on changing that.

That being said...

I am worried about what Slate is trying to do.

Are they trying to be a low-cost car company, or a customizable car company?

The $27k price point is attractive at first glance, but a majority of orders are going to be for an SUV pack+long range battery. That pushes the $25k price to mid-high 30s (presumably, I think Slate is intentionally not releasing pricing of options for a reason)
And that is for a bare bones, basic SUV. Throw in some "comfort" options, delivery and registration, and we suddenly have a $40k SUV, with no AWD option, and an extremely limiting range. There are plenty of solid EV options in the 40 range, that are tested, proven, and have significantly better ranges.

If Slate is trying to be a low-cost are manufacturer, the $27k target is awfully high for what you get, a glorified golf cart. And it is fair to assume most of their profit margin will be in selling customization options, so I don't anticipate those being "low priced".
If it is trying to be a customizable company, I wish there were more options that consumers really care about from the start. A true long range battery, AWD addition, potentially even a long wheel base frame. A vast majority of the "customizations" are either 1) cosmetic, or 2) selling the customer what is already standard at a markup.

In summary... I am optimistic. But I fear the idea of "strip it down and sell it back" will just lead to a subpar car that you can buy your way up to being tolerable for daily use.

 

[SgtBanana]

If Slate is trying to be a low-cost are manufacturer, the $27k target is awfully high for what you get, a glorified golf cart. And it is fair to assume most of their profit margin will be in selling customization options, so I don't anticipate those being "low priced".
If it is trying to be a customizable company, I wish there were more options that consumers really care about from the start. A true long range battery, AWD addition, potentially even a long wheel base frame. A vast majority of the "customizations" are either 1) cosmetic, or 2) selling the customer what is already standard at a markup.

In summary... I am optimistic. But I fear the idea of "strip it down and sell it back" will just lead to a subpar car that you can buy your way up to being tolerable for daily use.

I fear that you're right. The main draw with Slate is the price, and the price (from what I've seen and heard up to this point) is a fair bit higher than most people assume.

I'm staying onboard. I'm excited about Slate. With that having been said, I want their team to surprise us with the accessory/addon pricing. They need to surprise us. I'd also like to see a minor reduction in the base price. Like you said, $27,500~ is quite high for one of the most basic, amenity barren cars to emerge within the last 20 years.

 

[Ewwgas]

I basically agree with everything above. I don't think it's cheap enough... the Maverick starts at the same price, well, 26k MSRP. A year from now we will have to re-evaluate I'm sure...

 

[Crimpcap]

I agree as well. Hoping they can come to market at the price point announced.

I think one of the positives are direct to consumer sales.

I have been looking for the Maverick hybrid to replace my wife's 2012 Nissan Leaf with degrading battery. Dealers in my area laugh when I tell them I want the $27k version. They say supply and demand and add to the price because they can. I even tried to order one and was told they would still require dealer addons and market adjustment. Just pure greedy dealers.

 

[cvollers]

This is a very realistic concern. I don’t think that people will “transform” the vehicle on a regular basis…they will mod once and then most likely leave it in the transformed state. So unless the SUV pack is very reasonably priced, the target market for this thing shrinks considerably. Perhaps the biggest draw is the ease of wrapping but that also needs to be reasonably priced. Once a well-equipped SUV version gets over $35K, the market for this vehicle is really going to shrink. I hope they can hit a sub-$25K base price and sub-$30K for the extended range battery version. Not giving up my Scout Traveler reservation just yet…

All of that said, my vision for using this is as a rolling billboard commuter for my business. A used/wrapped Ford Transit Connect would work just as well (maybe better with the larger interior volume) at under $30K, just not be nearly as cool.

 

[jimmyd]

I agree as well. Hoping they can come to market at the price point announced.

I think one of the positives are direct to consumer sales.

I have been looking for the Maverick hybrid to replace my wife's 2012 Nissan Leaf with degrading battery. Dealers in my area laugh when I tell them I want the $27k version. They say supply and demand and add to the price because they can. I even tried to order one and was told they would still require dealer addons and market adjustment. Just pure greedy dealers.

call Granger Ford, in iowa. they'll take your order, give you the best pricing you can get anywhere, no bullshit at all. it is worth the trip to pick it up and drive/tow it home or work with them to get it shipped. ordered my 22 mach 1 from them for over 10k less than anywhere else would even consider. under MSRP during the height of marked up cars.

 

[zipn]

We have a 25 hybrid maverick. The slate can’t replace it ( crew cab, AWD, 4k towing… 35-42 mpg!) but it can compliment it. I like the mav for all the truck stuff it can do plus it’s a lariat so a nice enough long range cruiser too, where’s the slate can handle daily local trips keeping the wear and tear off the mav.

In that capacity all we want is the blank slate, maybe power windows, and a tonneau cover or simple suv shell… don’t need the extra seats. Don’t give a rats ass about the cosmetics, but will add a double din radio with CarPlay and a couple of wired speakers.

If it cost more than 25k out the door we will probably just get a new Bolt ev or a used Hyundai/kia that’s still in warranty. Agreed that slate is in danger of pricing themselves over the traditional competition.

 

[Letas]

We have a 25 hybrid maverick. The slate can’t replace it ( crew cab, AWD, 4k towing… 35-42 mpg!) but it can compliment it. I like the mav for all the truck stuff it can do plus it’s a lariat so a nice enough long range cruiser too, where’s the slate can handle daily local trips keeping the wear and tear off the mav.

In that capacity all we want is the blank slate, maybe power windows, and a tonneau cover or simple suv shell… don’t need the extra seats. Don’t give a rats ass about the cosmetics, but will add a double din radio with CarPlay and a couple of wired speakers.

If it cost more than 25k out the door we will probably just get a new Bolt ev or a used Hyundai/kia that’s still in warranty. Agreed that slate is in danger of pricing themselves over the traditional competition.

Lots of people are saying this would compliment their current cars, or “be great for in town contractors”, but I think that market is just too small to build an entire company off.
Really wish they would’ve offered a AWD/4x4 option with reasonable range. Something to daily without feeling significant limitations.

 

[Adam W]

I wonder how much of the price is dictated by their emphasis on US manufacturing and suppliers. With the Maverick built in Mexico and everything coming over from Asia, that alone seems to put Slate at a disadvantage right out of the gate price wise.

 

[BeachHead]

I think the OP's concern is valid. After the extended range, my guess is the most desired option is going to be the SUV (those are my two interests). I would be very interested in knowing what the target pricing is on them, because if they are too high, this becomes unattractive to me.

I think the SUV could be more expensive than many of us would like to think. Priced an airbag lately? And of course, we all know batteries are not cheap either. I'm definitely watching for more information on those two options, as I expect they are the determining factor for me.

 

[TRP]

I think the draw of this vehicle is the customization factor. You certainly don't get that with a Maverick.

Yes, if you drag the Slate through the whole catalogue it is gonna get expensive. There's no need to do that up front. Get the "Blank Slate" and see what becomes available down the road.

If you're looking for a "semi-luxury" mini truck with lots of bells and whistles, perhaps the Slate is not for you.

Our needs are a simple city vehicle that can take the dogs to the dog park, get groceries and a trip to the big box hardware store now and again. It will not be a traveler. My wife is and has always been of the mind a car is a tool...it needs to do a job and she doesn't care about the amenities in it. I'm on the other end of that spectrum. So I'll have my loaded car and she can have her basic Slate.

As far as the cost of accessories go......I'll wait and see for sure, but let's talk about the wrap now. Slate has said a wrap kit with pre cut pieces will be $500 for any color. You'll need to include installation fees or DIY it yourself. Have you priced a full wrap lately? $4-5k seems to be a good guess. Either way it does not need to be done with your order. That's the whole point of this vehicle, at least IMHO.

YMMV

 

[mthulhu]

The draw for me is in the looks and price. We haven’t had an economy car look this good in some time. It looks way better than any Maverick. Plus any low cost electric vehicle has a great value proposition when you start looking at cost to operate vs a gas car. Just about all families have two cars so the “second car” market is huge. I think the low range version compliments a larger gas powered vehicle in the garage pretty well. So customization aside, I think the value is there especially when you appreciate a vehicle with good aesthetics.

 

[mikell]

I have 3 Mavericks. A 22 XL that was $23k delivered. A 24 XL that was $26k and an 24 XLT that was about $29k. Averaging over 40 MPG. I have $50 down to keep me in the look. I figure at least 2-3 years out.

 

[E90400K]

I've been discussing this very same topic in other threads, so I'll be repeating some of my comments, if they have been read elsewhere.

At $20K it's a great truck for a multi-car fleet, and great for a single young person who can't afford a $50K new vehicle. But in between that at $27K without tax credit pricing support, the Ford Maverick gives you easy-access 4-doors, and a nearly same sized bed, with 400-mile range recovery in 5 minutes for a few thousand more in price, which is just $10 more a month in car payment.

If the idea is the now-married young person can expand the pickup into the SUV as his family grows, I get that. But how many young people get rid of their 2-door, 4-seat sports coupe when the baby comes along? Lots.

The problem Slate has is economy of scale. International manufacturers such as Ford have huge economy of scale. The Maverick is a derivation of the internationally built C2 Escape platform, Ford builds 10 models off the C2 platform and uses the various versions of the drivetrain all over the world. It sells millions of C2 platform cars a year in global markets.

Slate says it will build annually up to 140,000 units. That's probably a month or less of C2 platform cars Ford builds globally. If Slate starts eating into Maverick sales, Ford just lowers the price via incentives at the dealership level. Ford easily has enough room in the profit to drop the price $3K to $5K in a moment's notice.

I just see difficulty with mass market acceptance of this type of vehicle. If the core target audience is lower economic (hourly) wage earners and young people starting out in life who want an affordable, warranty-carrying new car, I see the Slate's slow DCFC rate as an issue. The target audience mentioned above are usually not private homeowners who can have access to private overnight charging. 30 minutes to 80% SOC is just 120 miles of non-winter range. Another 30 minutes needed for the remaining 60 miles of range might be a deterrent to market acceptance. Usable range is really just 30 to 120 miles (90 miles) per 30 min. DCFC. Fine if you charge at home, not so good if you live off of public DCFC.

People on the lower income level of society don't own a single-family home that has access to private overnight EV charging. They will have to use the public DCFC network to charge their Slate, which is just 90 miles of usable range (20% to 80% SOC), which will take 30 minutes. To get to 150 miles of range at 100% SOC will probably take an hour or more. Drive 10,000 miles a year at 90 miles a clip and that's 56 hours spent fueling a Slate.

A Ford Maverick 2.0L Ecoboost has 400 miles of range per tank and at its EPA rating of 26 MPG, it will need around 24 fills of the tank to travel 10,000 miles per year. 24 tank fills at 5 minutes each is just 2 hours per year to fuel the Maverick. I'm not trying to piss on the Slate business model at all, I'm just mulling over the market acceptance case for it. It may be just too in-between.

It's a tough business model to rely on the $7,500 tax rebate being (a) still in existence in 2027, and (b) applicable to wage earners who earn enough to pay $7,500 in income tax (to get it back as a max rebate), and (c) a 140,000 in annual unit sales to get the cost of production to hit the pre-rebate price of $27,000.

At a $27K price point, the 4-door Maverick hybrid XL is a far better choice.

 

[Letas]

I've been discussing this very same topic in other threads, so I'll be repeating some of my comments, if they have been read elsewhere.

At $20K it's a great truck for a multi-car fleet, and great for a single young person who can't afford a $50K new vehicle. But in between that at $27K without tax credit pricing support, the Ford Maverick gives you easy-access 4-doors, and a nearly same sized bed, with 400-mile range recovery in 5 minutes for a few thousand more in price, which is just $10 more a month in car payment.

If the idea is the now-married young person can expand the pickup into the SUV as his family grows, I get that. But how many young people get rid of their 2-door, 4-seat sports coupe when the baby comes along? Lots.

The problem Slate has is economy of scale. International manufacturers such as Ford have huge economy of scale. The Maverick is a derivation of the internationally built C2 Escape platform, Ford builds 10 models off the C2 platform and uses the various versions of the drivetrain all over the world. It sells millions of C2 platform cars a year in global markets.

Slate says it will build annually up to 140,000 units. That's probably a month or less of C2 platform cars Ford builds globally. If Slate starts eating into Maverick sales, Ford just lowers the price via incentives at the dealership level. Ford easily has enough room in the profit to drop the price $3K to $5K in a moment's notice.

I just see difficulty with mass market acceptance of this type of vehicle. If the core target audience is lower economic (hourly) wage earners and young people starting out in life who want an affordable, warranty-carrying new car, I see the Slate's slow DCFC rate as an issue. The target audience mentioned above are usually not private homeowners who can have access to private overnight charging. 30 minutes to 80% SOC is just 120 miles of non-winter range. Another 30 minutes needed for the remaining 60 miles of range might be a deterrent to market acceptance. Usable range is really just 30 to 120 miles (90 miles) per 30 min. DCFC. Fine if you charge at home, not so good if you live off of public DCFC.

People on the lower income level of society don't own a single-family home that has access to private overnight EV charging. They will have to use the public DCFC network to charge their Slate, which is just 90 miles of usable range (20% to 80% SOC), which will take 30 minutes. To get to 150 miles of range at 100% SOC will probably take an hour or more. Drive 10,000 miles a year at 90 miles a clip and that's 56 hours spent fueling a Slate.

A Ford Maverick 2.0L Ecoboost has 400 miles of range per tank and at its EPA rating of 26 MPG, it will need around 24 fills of the tank to travel 10,000 miles per year. 24 tank fills at 5 minutes each is just 2 hours per year to fuel the Maverick. I'm not trying to piss on the Slate business model at all, I'm just mulling over the market acceptance case for it. It may be just too in-between.

It's a tough business model to rely on the $7,500 tax rebate being (a) still in existence in 2027, and (b) applicable to wage earners who earn enough to pay $7,500 in income tax (to get it back as a max rebate), and (c) a 140,000 in annual unit sales to get the cost of production to hit the pre-rebate price of $27,000.

At a $27K price point, the 4-door Maverick hybrid XL is a far better choice.

Not to mention, for a buyer looking for an electric SUV, you can find used Blazer/Equinox EVs with under 10k miles for ~$35k or less, easily. A proven vehicle from a tested manufacture (that includes speakers!), at the same price point as a new Slate, without the range limitations, no AWD, etc. The billing of a "low cost" EV is not as strong as Slate seems to think. If they leaned into the customization aspect, I'd get it. But give us real customization. Not just cosmetic changes.