This is the small truck Tesla should have produced...

[YDR37]

The price estimate for the slate is not real and we won't know until 2026/2027 when it goes on sale, and as we've seen with every single new EV, they have that lovely price point in their PR events years ahead, but by the time the vehicle goes on sale...

Nobody knows what the final pricing of the Slate is actually going to look like in 2026/2027. Maybe they will meet their ambitious goal of "mid-20s", or maybe not.

But it's equally true that no one knows what the pricing of the Maverick, or other currently inexpensive vehicles, will look like in 2026/2027 either. It wasn't that long ago (2022, in fact) that the MSRP for a basic Maverick was under $20,000. Prices have been going up, and they may continue to do so.

What I meant by the current price is the listed price at dealerships in the United States selling them today. Not the online pricing but actual prices they are listing for at dealerships today.

Dealers can discount below MSRP. However, they can also mark up above MSRP -- as many Maverick owners can attest.

 

[Slashsnake]

Nobody knows what the final pricing of the Slate is actually going to look like in 2026/2027. Maybe they will meet their ambitious goal of "mid-20s", or maybe not.

But it's equally true that no one knows what the pricing of the Maverick, or other currently inexpensive vehicles, will look like in 2026/2027 either. It wasn't that long ago (2022, in fact) that the MSRP for a basic Maverick was under $20,000. Prices have been going up, and they may continue to do so.

Dealers can discount below MSRP. However, they can also mark up above MSRP -- as many Maverick owners can attest.

Well I'd say 27-28K is more high 20's than mid (I'll leave that level of wordplay to the PR team to convince us that is in the "middle" of the 20's), but sure, I'm just being pragmatic that hoping for that number to not change from a release event to drum up interest has not worked out well historically.


And yes, the Maverick was selling when supply constrained for a lot more when people or dealers got them. And for a lot of them on resale or with dealer markups they were a bad deal and you could get a better pickup for less. I'm just saying I don't see the Slate's price point as being very competitive for what is offered there compared to what else is out there at or below that point.

I do agree, the best we can do is view what the Slate PR team thinks it will cost today, vs. what you can buy instead today. And there is where I struggle to see the Slate's price point without the EV tax credit keeping it in business.

 

[cvollers]

Well I'd say 27-28K is more high 20's than mid (I'll leave that level of wordplay to the PR team to convince us that is in the "middle" of the 20's), but sure, I'm just being pragmatic that hoping for that number to not change from a release event to drum up interest has not worked out well historically.


And yes, the Maverick was selling when supply constrained for a lot more when people or dealers got them. And for a lot of them on resale or with dealer markups they were a bad deal and you could get a better pickup for less. I'm just saying I don't see the Slate's price point as being very competitive for what is offered there compared to what else is out there at or below that point.

I do agree, the best we can do is view what the Slate PR team thinks it will cost today, vs. what you can buy instead today. And there is where I struggle to see the Slate's price point without the EV tax credit keeping it in business.

Once again we have a potential customer who wants an electric Maverick not built by Ford.

 

[Slashsnake]

Once again we have a potential customer who wants an electric Maverick not built by Ford.

Not sure what you are stating there. But no.

I'm not sure I would want an EV pickup really. Maybe if it was a bit more practical than the slate, but not at that price. I think I'd be looking at a chevy silverado EV WT there for the step up in cost coming with so much more.

Just looking at the numbers and struggling to see how that price point competes.

 

[YDR37]

Well I'd say 27-28K is more high 20's than mid (I'll leave that level of wordplay to the PR team to convince us that is in the "middle" of the 20's)

Slate hasn't said anything about "27-28K". They have only said:

The expected price of the blank Slate is under $20,000 after federal incentives are applied.

There has been a general rush to the conclusion that this must mean "$19,995 after the $7,500 tax credit", which implies a retail price of $27,495. Maybe that assumption is correct, or maybe not. But it's only an assumption.

What's not an assumption: the CEO of Slate is on record (at 0:20 here) as stating that "a Slate costs in the mid-20s" before current incentives. Maybe Slate will meet that target, or maybe not. But "mid-20s" is the stated target at this time.

 

[Slashsnake]

Slate hasn't said anything about "27-28K". They have only said:

There has been a general rush to the conclusion that this must mean "$19,995 after the $7,500 tax credit", which implies a retail price of $27,495. Maybe that assumption is correct, or maybe not. But it's only an assumption.
What's not an assumption: the CEO of Slate is on record (at 0:20 here) that a Slate costs "in the mid-20s" before the tax credit. Maybe Slate will meet that target, or maybe not. But "mid-20s" is the stated target at this time.

Of course that's the consensus. That's what major automotive press have noted after their conversations with the Slate team as well and slate has done nothing to disuade anyone from repeatedly using those numbers.

MAYBE their PR team is idiots and instead of saying "under $18k" and drumming up more support, they rounded up when that only hurts their business.

I guess if that's what you like to believe... sure. Go for it. But it's pretty outside the realm of what reality ends up being.

 

[slateya]

What I meant by the current price is the listed price at dealerships in the United States selling them today. Not the online pricing but actual prices they are listing for at dealerships today.

That is true... The price estimate for the slate is not real and we won't know until 2026/2027 when it goes on sale, and as we've seen with every single new EV, they have that lovely price point in their PR events years ahead, but by the time the vehicle goes on sale...

Yes, the MSRP is higher and Ford is doing Ford pricing and you can buy for much less. With the Slate, it looks like it will be pure MSRP only there. Trucks always have deals running on them. EV direct sale cars sell for their list (or 10-20% higher than their PR event initial price by the time they sell)....

That's where I struggle to see it. I see a Santa Cruz at $24,300. A single Cab Silverado at $27,500. A Maverick hybrid at $24,000. A Frontier King Cab at $28,500. A Ram Quadcab Tradesman at $29k. I like EV's... I like cheap pickups. But I can't make that price point make sense to go with something as bare bones and non-practical as the slate outside of niche situations.

Dealers are known to list bait and switch pricing. I tried looking for a 2014-17 Audi A4 a couple months ago on some of the common sites. Every one I tried to contact told me “no longer available, but we have X.” I no longer trust not just low but even reasonable advertised prices from dealers.

So here I am waiting for a no dealer non ford reasonably priced truck/suv.

 

[cvollers]

Of course that's the consensus. That's what major automotive press have noted after their conversations with the Slate team as well and slate has done nothing to disuade anyone from repeatedly using those numbers.

MAYBE their PR team is idiots and instead of saying "under $18k" and drumming up more support, they rounded up when that only hurts their business.

I guess if that's what you like to believe... sure. Go for it. But it's pretty outside the realm of what reality ends up being.

My last reply on this topic, I promise. Its bad PR to publicly rebut what someone in the automotive press writes or says. Slate knows this. If its close enough without being incredibly off base, let it go. At this point in time, who cares if its $24K or $25K or $27.5K? No one can write a check for a Slate right now. Wait until the pricing is announced...for the accessories too. Then you can do all the "I told you so" commentary you want. Trust me, no one will care.

And if the price ends up being too high for you by $2K, no one will care about that either.

 

[YDR37]

Of course that's the consensus. That's what major automotive press have noted after their conversations with the Slate team as well and slate has done nothing to disuade anyone from repeatedly using those numbers.

MAYBE their PR team is idiots and instead of saying "under $18k" and drumming up more support, they rounded up when that only hurts their business.

It wouldn't hurt Slate's business at all if everyone is expecting pricing of $27-28k, and the final announced price is only (say) 25k. On the contrary, this would generate a ton of positive headlines.

Not saying that this will happen. Just saying it's usually good news when a company beats the analyst consensus, not a problem.

I guess if that's what you like to believe. sure. Go for it. But it's pretty outside the realm of what reality ends up being.

I don't know whether or not a blank Slate will really be "mid-20s". I'm just pointing out this is the number that the Slate CEO has offered. It may or may not be realistic, but it's the closest thing to "official" pricing that we have.

 

[Slashsnake]

My last reply on this topic, I promise. Its bad PR to publicly rebut what someone in the automotive press writes or says. Slate knows this. If its close enough without being incredibly off base, let it go. At this point in time, who cares if its $24K or $25K or $27.5K? No one can write a check for a Slate right now. Wait until the pricing is announced...for the accessories too. Then you can do all the "I told you so" commentary you want. Trust me, no one will care.

And if the price ends up being too high for you by $2K, no one will care about that either.

I don't think their team is that inept. If they are that truck is doomed right?

If they have a leader using $27,499 as "mid 20k" good for him. If he meant $24,800ish and they let everyone they held time with from major journalists to walk out with an artificially high number, that is an awful group they have there and I just can't fall into the idea that this truck is off to that awful of a start with that inept of a team.

 

[Slashsnake]

I don't know whether or not a basic Slate will really be "mid-20s". I'm just pointing out this is the number that the Slate CEO has offered. Maybe she knows more about future Slate pricing than you or me or the press.

I'm sure they know that if every market works out the best for them and inflation keeps to a super low level etc the lowest number they can go

And I'm really sure they have a decent group working on this that didn't send the media off quoting numbers higher than that one.

Like you say, they know. And the media walked away with those numbers to print. Slate didn't leave that to chance that the media could torpedo potential sales and news with an artificially high number. They can't be that bad.

 

[YDR37]

Like you say, they know. And the media walked away with those numbers to print. Slate didn't leave that to chance that the media could torpedo potential sales and news with an artificially high number. They can't be that bad.

That's not "bad". Tesla has set the standard for "bad" electric pickup pricing expectation management with the Cybertruck. They pre-announced it in 2019 at a starting price of $39,990, then released it in 2023 at a starting price of $99,990. That's how to shock potential customers and torpedo sales. To be fair, as of 2025 Tesla offers a stripped single-motor CT for only $69,990, but this is still too high to bring back the masses of disappointed early reservation holders.

For Slate, the question is whether the pricing expectation should be "mid 20s" vs "high 20s". Given that the average transaction price for a new vehicle in the US is around $50,000, I doubt that this distinction matters greatly to most potential buyers. Clearly everyone is expecting "high 20s", but maybe Slate will pleasantly surprise us, and I don't think it will hurt them if they do.

 

[Dorbiman]

What I meant by the current price is the listed price at dealerships in the United States selling them today. Not the online pricing but actual prices they are listing for at dealerships today.

That is true... The price estimate for the slate is not real and we won't know until 2026/2027 when it goes on sale, and as we've seen with every single new EV, they have that lovely price point in their PR events years ahead, but by the time the vehicle goes on sale...

Yes, the MSRP is higher and Ford is doing Ford pricing and you can buy for much less. With the Slate, it looks like it will be pure MSRP only there. Trucks always have deals running on them. EV direct sale cars sell for their list (or 10-20% higher than their PR event initial price by the time they sell)....

That's where I struggle to see it. I see a Santa Cruz at $24,300. A single Cab Silverado at $27,500. A Maverick hybrid at $24,000. A Frontier King Cab at $28,500. A Ram Quadcab Tradesman at $29k. I like EV's... I like cheap pickups. But I can't make that price point make sense to go with something as bare bones and non-practical as the slate outside of niche situations.

Shoot, where do you see a new 2025 Silverado for $27.5K? MSRP is $39,195 on Chevy's builder. The Ram has a starting price of $40,275.

 

[cvollers]

That's not "bad". Tesla has set the standard for "bad" electric pickup pricing expectation management with the Cybertruck. They pre-announced it in 2019 at a starting price of $39,990, then released it in 2023 at a starting price of $99,990. That's how to shock potential customers and torpedo sales. To be fair, as of 2025 Tesla offers a stripped single-motor CT for only $69,990, but this is still too high to bring back the masses of disappointed early reservation holders.

For Slate, the question is whether the pricing expectation should be "mid 20s" vs "high 20s". Given that the average transaction price for a new vehicle in the US is around $50,000, I doubt that this distinction matters greatly to most potential buyers. Clearly everyone is expecting "high 20s", but maybe Slate will pleasantly surprise us, and I don't think it will hurt them if they do.

The worst part is even at $40K for a Cybertruck, you still feel like you are getting ripped off.

 

[skidoofast]

I’m reading this thread and wondering why slashsnake is on this forum, it seems to me he is a “it’s going to fail no matter what” kind of guy

obviously not a customer and it’s evident this vehicle wouldn’t fit his needs if they gave it away