Tisha Johnson on designing the ultimate affordable electric pickup

[Hoosier Daddy]

Watching this video reminded me of my first ever car- a 1960 Rambler American. It was a mildly restyled version of the 1950-55 Nash Rambler, the first successful American compact car. So successful that it spawned a song by the Playmates where the Nash challenged-and beat- a Cadillac in a road race. I was big and tall in high school but the Rambler fit me and four of my buddies for many a teen age adventure. The Slate seems aimed similarly to the Rambler, building a small, reliable car that the Big Three wouldn’t or couldn’t deliver. The personal irony for me is that my first car, and what may potentially be my last, are scant inches apart in dimensions. The Rambler had a 100 inch wheelbase, was 176 inches long and 73 inches wide. Slate? 108, 174, 70. Maybe I’ll wrap my Slate the way my Rambler was painted, Frost White top over Westchester Green body….

 

[ScooterAsheville]

Whereas I consider the Slate to be the inheritor of my 2010 Ford Ranger XL, single cab, manual shift, 4 cylinder, rollup windows, manual door locks, and the cheapest parts and pieces available on the planet Earth.

 

[Luxrage]

Car shows are a bad example, you will see stuff there that never makes it to the street. Many cars have a limited palette available, especially if you go for a lower trim.

That's was my biggest gripe for a long time. Luckily it seems in the last few years automakers are slowly going back to offering most colors as a separate addon. At least for the handfuls of Toyotas / Fords / Subarus I've looked at recently. I'll gladly pay an extra $400 to make my base Impreza hatch whatever this color is instead of having it locked behind a trim package. Looking at you, GR86 Yuzu Edition...