VIDEO: The Rise and Fall of American Small Affordable Pickup Trucks

[GaRailroader]

Great video. Covers the early imports, the chicken tax, the CAFE standards and the big 3's desire to favor higher margin vehicles.

 

[Mad Mac]

Painfully true.

My grandfather had a Plymouth Arrow D50
made my Mitsubishi like this one.
He liked it a lot though he could barely
fold his 6' 4" frame into it.

My father had a 2009 Toyota Tacoma
that he traded a Suburban for
during the cash for clunkers boondoggle
and liked it a lot.

And I had a 1995 Nissan Hardbody
which I also traded in during
that Obama wrong headed fiasco
for a diesel VW Jetta
which we drove the hell out of
and sold it back to VW for a bundle
when the EPA cheating scandal broke.

That car was not good for long trips, though.
Jetta lag.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I think the huge question is how Americans as a whole will react to a truly bare bones, single cab, small truck in 2026. I think the Telo will be a small-scale cult hit, because it's just so "California". Slate to me is a complete mystery. I think it'll either be a huge hit or a huge miss, but not in-between.

I don't think right now anyone knows how the auto buying public is gonna vote with their dollars. I could come up with a dozen reasons why Slate will be a miss. And I could come up with a dozen reasons why Slate will be a hit.

 

[GaRailroader]

I think the huge question is how Americans as a whole will react to a truly bare bones, single cab, small truck in 2026. I think the Telo will be a small-scale cult hit, because it's just so "California". Slate to me is a complete mystery. I think it'll either be a huge hit or a huge miss, but not in-between.

I don't think right now anyone knows how the auto buying public is gonna vote with their dollars. I could come up with a dozen reasons why Slate will be a miss. And I could come up with a dozen reasons why Slate will be a hit.

2.2 million views of the Jay Leno video could be a leading indicator. I think the Slate has a cool factor similar to Jeep Wranglers and Bronco’s that will be an attraction for many while I just seek the compact single cab pick-up.

 

[mikell]

Anything over $20k and it'll never sell. Has nothing to offer .

 

[bloo]

Great video. Covers the early imports, the chicken tax, the CAFE standards and the big 3's desire to favor higher margin vehicles.

Informative vid with some errors. The AI narration is painful to listen to.

 

[KevinRS]

Anything over $20k and it'll never sell. Has nothing to offer .

Then it sounds like you are in the wrong place. You are saying it won't sell unless it beats the cheapest vehicle on 4 wheels by around $3k or more.
The only time it was ever mentioned that cheap was with federal incentives. Anyone who agreed with you left here and got their $50 refunded last year when those ended.

 

[fuzzyweis]

I feel like they cribbed off my post here some, and yeah the AI narration is pretty painful, it was the Chevrolet LUV pronounced like love, I had one briefly, also the Isuzu wasn't called the Faster here, it was called the P'up, but would hate to hear how they butcher that.

-Jim

 

[sodamo]

Anything over $20k and it'll never sell. Has nothing to offer .

This is the type of post that makes me think poster didn’t reserve a Slate, they reserved a figment of their imagination.

 

[mikell]

This is the type of post that makes me think poster didn’t reserve a Slate, they reserved a figment of their imagination.

I have one on order but the odds of actually taking it is pretty low. 3 Maverick Hybrids in my driveway as it is.

 

[SparkYellow]

... I think the Telo will be a small-scale cult hit, because it's just so "California"...

It is made in California all right. I like how the pricing information is all there. The "unconventional" look certainly requires max courage from the team.

 

[bloo]

...also the Isuzu wasn't called the Faster here, it was called the P'up, but would hate to hear how they butcher that.

Pee-up.

 

[bartflossom]

I have one on order but the odds of actually taking it is pretty low. 3 Maverick Hybrids in my driveway as it is.

I have a maverick hybrid in my garage, and I'm hoping this surge in gas pricing will increase it's value so I can sell it to fund most of my Slate. Between recalls, 12v battery failures, and the crooked ford dealers I've had to deal with, I can't wait for my Slate.

 

[Kopsis]

I think the Telo will be a small-scale cult hit, because it's just so "California".

I put the odds of Telo ever going into production between slim and none. I don't get the impression that they ever had a viable plan to manufacture it. It felt more like they were just "shopping" the design around hoping they could get swallowed up by a bigger fish.

 

[phidauex]

I put the odds of Telo ever going into production between slim and none. I don't get the impression that they ever had a viable plan to manufacture it. It felt more like they were just "shopping" the design around hoping they could get swallowed up by a bigger fish.

I like the Telo quite a bit - I'd buy one over the Slate if both were available, even at the higher target price. I also like the Alpha Wolf, but they seem even less serious than Telo. I suspect that you right for both - starting a car company in order to get bought or sell IP, rather than actually make cars.

I worry that because this is a successful strategy in tech (3 people make a cool app, have no plan to scale it, but get bought before it is a problem), people will keep trying it in manufacturing. However, the dynamics are very different, and the IP is worth a lot less than the execution capabilities. Proving you can deliver is much harder, and much more important to the valuation.