This might be a Drag on Slates success.

[Benjamin Nead]

"Slate Killer"articles can only add to the buzz. Remember the headline "Faraday Future is Introducing a new Tesla Killer!" I kinda think there's a real threshold when comedians start mentioning it. "I was so scared I squeezed out a Slate!" "I read 50 Shades of Grey, it's absolutely NOT a Slate owners manual"

Anyway this is from Google's AI;

The "Tesla Killer" Narrative:
The media often used the "Tesla killer" label for any new EV that seemed competitive with Tesla, especially when launched by established automakers. This was often a way to generate clicks and interest, even if the comparison wasn't entirely accurate.
Why it Failed:
Many of the "Tesla killers" faced challenges in production, pricing, or market adoption. For example, the Faraday Future FF91 never went into full production, and the Fisker Karma faced battery issues and recalls.

Yeah, I've seen the phrase "Tesla Killer" so many times over the years that it's almost meaningless now. The other one, when someone is bringing out a rather innovative product and someone wants to hype it, the phrase "This is the Tesla of" toaster ovens, or toilet plungers, or what have you. This of course has backfired in recent months, as Musk's ketamine-fueled exploits in government has made him and, by extension, Tesla rather unpopular.

 

[Duke Slater]

Yeah, I've seen the phrase "Tesla Killer" so many times over the years that it's almost meaningless now. The other one, when someone is bringing out a rather innovative product and someone wants to hype it, the phrase "This is the Tesla of" toaster ovens, or toilet plungers, or what have you. This of course has backfired in recent months, as Musk's ketamine-fueled exploits in government has made him and, by extension, Tesla rather unpopular.

The CEO might be a big-mouth, but Tesla is still king of cars. Slate will need to keep their unveil prices to have a prayer of a chance of remaining in business.

For the record, I’m a Tesla owner but fully rooting for Slate to succeed.

 

[Benjamin Nead]

The CEO might be a big-mouth, but Tesla is still king of cars. Slate will need to keep their unveil prices to have a prayer of a chance of remaining in business.

For the record, I’m a Tesla owner but fully rooting for Slate to succeed.

I don't hold anything personal against anyone who owns a Tesla, simply because that was the brand they happened to buy. Long before hating on Elon became a thing, though, I've felt no joy regarding the direction of the company. They should have put out a smaller entry level no frills EV long ago, rather than so much emphasis on the self-driving stuff, robots, etc. Musk himself is more than a big-mouth. If Mary Barra or Jim Farley had behaved like Musk has recently, the board of directors at GM and Ford would have given them their walking papers months ago.

 

[Duke Slater]

I don't hold anything personal against anyone who owns a Tesla, simply because that was the brand they happened to buy. Long before hating on Elon became a thing, though, I've felt no joy regarding the direction of the company. They should have put out a smaller entry level no frills EV long ago, rather than so much emphasis on the self-driving stuff, robots, etc. Musk himself is more than a big-mouth. If Mary Barra or Jim Farley had behaved like Musk has recently, the board of directors at GM and Ford would have given them their walking papers months ago.

I agree with absolutely everything. And I know for a fact that Elon won’t change, Tesla won’t fire him, and Slate will have to come in under $25K to have a chance.

I’m calling it now: Tax credits will be gone before this truck is out and Tesla will release a stripped down version of the Y for $30K that’s able to tow 3,500 lbs, has way more range, faster 0-60 and top speed, and drive itself. Slate won’t be able to compete if it’s over $25K. It really needs to be $20K and have supercharger access. It’s a tough time to start an EV company with how far ahead Tesla is.

I know I’m coming across as a Tesla fanboy right now, but I’m just a realist. They are so laughably far ahead of everyone else right now. But I’m hardcore rooting for Slate to come through, as Tesla doesn’t make a small, cheap truck.

 

[Luxrage]

For those that don't know about the chicken tax, pickups imported to the US are hit with a 25% tariff. This would be on top of any other tariffs.
The name "chicken tax" goes back to when the tariff was first applied as a counter to European taxes on chickens exported from the US.

Automakers have tried to bypass the chicken tax with little to no success, from putting seats in the rear of the vehicle to have it classified as a passenger car (okay I call this a win):

To Ford shipping "passenger version" Transit Connects from their factory in Turkey to the US and promptly throwing out the rear seats at the factory.

Yeah, I've seen the phrase "Tesla Killer" so many times over the years that it's almost meaningless now.

I've heard that "killer" line overused so many times in the realm of videogames it has become meaningless and, like the headlines that end with a question, always safe to assume the answer is going to be "no." Every year we had a new MMORPG that was touted as the "World of Warcraft Killer" that ended up fizzling out, and even as a most recent example from THIS WEEK, a videogame touted by IGN as "The Grand Theft Auto Killer" released and is currently rocking a MetaCritic score of 37% for the PC version.

That being said, as much as I have never been into Teslas, even before the sub-name calling issue, the political stuff, the issues with the other companies, and twitter... that prospective dirt cheap Model 2 was something I was really tempted by! ...and now it's allegedly the RoboTaxi. Another reason for me to not like Tesla.