The 'Slate' effect, will we see a wave of retro EVs like early 2000s cars?

[fuzzyweis]

This past weekend I went to Radwood Charlotte, which is a car show for 80s/90s cars and trucks. I brought the Power Ranger as I have in previous years, but it got me thinking about a car show for all the retro styled cars in the late 90s/2000s.

Cars like The New Beetle, Mini Cooper, Plymouth Prowler, PT Cruiser, Chevy SSR/HHR/Camaro, Fiat 500, Ford Thunderbird/Mustang, Dodge Charger/Challenger, Nissan Figaro/Pao, etc. There was a definite movement there, mainly for a decade, of generally cheap cars with retro styling, that I feel like was kicked off by the New Beetle or maybe the Prowler and the rest of the car makes just kind joined in.

Truthfully it may not be really a 'Slate' trend as the main car I see now that's really retro cool and cheap is the Renault 5 e-tech, but Slate also seems to be having an impact as at least Ford seems to be reacting to it, and VW is now renaming their EVs with names like Polo, Mini now has the Countryman EV, Dodge had the Charger Daytona(not the best example), Hyundai also had great response to their N Vision 74 concept

Maybe wishful thinking, but with the state of the world we need cheap economical cars, and if they have a little flair that's even better.

I'd love to see an actual VW Beetle EV like an Ora Punk Cat, and if Honda brought back the Element as an EV I think it'd be a big hit. And of course if Renault or Alpine actually get here with the A290 that'd be sweet. What kinds of cars from the past would also be good to see come back in a more modern form?

-Jim

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Small convertibles in the vein of the TR6, Sprite, MGB, Fiat X1/9, Honda Del Sol, etc. And all the two door utes. The Samurai and that old 2-door RAV4 (I owned one and loved it).

Only problem with the whole convertible thing is that million plus Miatas (I owned three) have sucked that market dry.

 

[fuzzyweis]

Small convertibles in the vein of the TR6, Sprite, MGB, Fiat X1/9, Honda Del Sol, etc. And all the two door utes. The Samurai and that old 2-door RAV4 (I owned one and loved it).

Only problem with the whole convertible thing is that million plus Miatas (I owned three) have sucked that market dry.

Oh man if Toyota used their C-HR platform and made a REV4 little sport utility that'd be sweet!

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Oh man if Toyota used their C-HR platform and made a REV4 little sport utility that'd be sweet!

I still kick myself that I didn't buy the convertible version of the 2-door RAV 4 and keep it. We owned the two door hard top. It was a choppy ride because of that short wheelbase, but we loved it. Perfect vehicle for two.

 

[sodamo]

Small convertibles in the vein of the TR6, Sprite, MGB, Fiat X1/9, Honda Del Sol, etc. And all the two door utes. The Samurai and that old 2-door RAV4 (I owned one and loved it).

Only problem with the whole convertible thing is that million plus Miatas (I owned three) have sucked that market dry.

Had a 77 MGB many years, kinda miss it sometimes. Yup, crank windows too.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Had a 77 MGB many years, kinda miss it sometimes. Yup, crank windows too.

But do you miss having to repair it all the time?

 

[sodamo]

But do you miss having to repair it all the time?

LOL, almost made a comment to that. It was a Love-Hate relationship for sure.

when we moved from VA to Atlanta, me and the dog in the MG, wife and cat in the overpacked conversion van. About 6 pm, Fri, MG breaks down at VA/NC border. No AAA etc. Towed us all the way to Atlanta using nylon rappelling rope. No Incident until she broke the rope on Atlanta exit ramp when she gunned it a bit going up ramp. None of the trooper who passed us ever stopped us. Turned out to be fuel pump.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

LOL, almost made a comment to that. It was a Love-Hate relationship for sure.

when we moved from VA to Atlanta, me and the dog in the MG, wife and cat in the overpacked conversion van. About 6 pm, Fri, MG breaks down at VA/NC border. No AAA etc. Towed us all the way to Atlanta using nylon rappelling rope. No Incident until she broke the rope on Atlanta exit ramp when she gunned it a bit going up ramp. None of the trooper who passed us ever stopped us. Turned out to be fuel pump.

Wow, what a trip that was! People who owned or rode in one really like those old MGs.

 

[cadblu]

I'd love to see an actual VW Beetle EV like an Ora Punk Cat, and if Honda brought back the Element as an EV I think it'd be a big hit. And of course if Renault or Alpine actually get here with the A290 that'd be sweet. What kinds of cars from the past would also be good to see come back in a more modern form?

-Jim

How about bringing back the Toyota FJ Cruiser as an EV or hybrid? It was launched about 20 years ago with boxy retro styling in a similar way that makes the Slate so appealing.

 

[E90400K]

I'm waiting for a Retromod AMC Pacer.

 

[IanNubbit]

Not related to retro, but Ford already reacted to Slate by trying to release a sub-30k truck. Dodge also reacted with CEO asking "do we really need to include infotainment?" in an interview.

This is the real thing I see Slate doing, making other brands question what is needed in a vehicle, and what can we give customers for cheaper but not subsidize it with subscriptions.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Ford was not reacting to Slate. That is a Slate fanboy narrative that people keep throwing out on this site. Ford was working on that program for years before Slate leaked.

And frankly, Slate is a microbe to Ford. They can't even see it. And if they did, they'd laugh hysterically at the idea it's a threat. Because you need to make money in the auto business just to attrack capital for your future programs (billions in capital).

OK, if Slate scales to a million cars a year and shows more than a single digit margin - yea, maybe then the major OEMs might notice it. Good luck with that.

What Ford does notice is the Chinese giant coming our way. That's why Ford launched the new BEV platform. Because they can see the steamroller coming their way.