Why Doug DeMuro Thinks the Slate Truck Will Fail

[lgerger]

There is no center air bag so turning it off is not necessary if they ship them with benches instead of buckets. There is only a requirements for airbags on the outboard seating positions.

Oh interesting. Great. A bench would be terrific in the rare chance I'd have a second passenger - and likely wouldn't be for long distances.

 

[lgerger]

Don’t forget when Cybertruck was announced in 2019 it was to start at $39,990. I wanted the $39,990 version. I cancelled my Cybertruck order the day after I reserved a Slate. Cybertruck would have sold a lot better if it came closer to the price they estimated in 2019.

Yeah, the CT was always absurd and wasn't sure what market it really served.

 

[lgerger]

]Do we need a small truck now based on a near retirement lifestyle?

...for me the Slate is a perfect answer for what I need heading into my mid-60's, but I live in the woods on 40 acres, not a Dale Webb property.

I'm 50 and nearing my first retirement (will work another 15 years) but moving to a large property about the time this thing is released and the idea of something I can just putter around town in, that I drive (not the other way around), seems very appealing to me. I'm an empty nester so there's only two of us to drive around.

 

[mthulhu]

Full disclosure, I didn’t watch the video. But, I have watched Doug’s review of the Mitsubishi Mirage, the most affordable economy car on the market at the time.

He roasted it at every inch for being what they are: cheap cars. It definitely rubbed me the wrong way- like he reviewed it just to shit on it. If he can’t appreciate an affordable 2000lb manual Japanese hatchback, I don’t think I am aligned with Doug’s mindset… and I’m not surprised to hear he is critical of the Slate idea.

 

[eddiet57]

This truck will sell. I have been driving electric for quite a while, and they handle so much better than ICE vehicles. If you charge at home (and most people who have a truck, are not in an apartment building), the energy cost is 50% or less than using gasoline or diesel. And most people with a truck are only averaging 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year (less than 50 miles per day) and are driving around their local area. This is way to practical to fail as long as the purchase price is low. If you need longer hauls, do what I do. Rent a truck.

 

[skidoofast]

It's though, more like 140,000 out of 13M new cars sold annually. Still a small percentage, but is it an underserved market, or a market that may not exist? Which is why the majors haven't created it.

But I'm in too, because a Slate fits my needs perfectly.

I appreciate your comments on my and other threads, it definitely makes you think about it

at this time this pickup is almost exactly what I want ( I live in Minnesota so the only thing I would like as an option would be 4wd)

right now I feel that it is such a market that has not been served (not sure if that is demand, CAFE fuel standards or cost) but time will tell

right now Im so excited for this that I need to step back and take in what others are saying about it and see that they do have some good points

 

[zipn]

I think he is right in that most people want 4 doors, I think he is wrong in thinking there will be no demand for an inexpensive 2 door truck. I won't buy a Maverick because it is not an EV. I won't buy any of the current EV pick-ups because they are too big. Keep in mind the compact trucks were actually killed by the EPA not the lack of demand. EPA structured their regulations by producing a chart of allowable emissions based on the product of the wheelbase and the wheel track. Small truck manufacturers quickly learned it was much easier to make the truck a little bigger than to invest in the technology to clean the emissions. Every year the EPA tightened the regulations which forced the automakers to make the vehicle a little bigger so they could meet a more lax EPA regulation. When the wheelbases start getting longer you got to add more bed or more cab or both. Trucks the size of the Slate were very popular for commercial applications prior to EPA intervention. Remember driving by Autozones and Advance Auto Parts Stores and seeing 2 white regular cab Rangers in the parking lot that they were using for delivering auto parts to repair shops? I have my reservation and hope they are getting enough interest to bring it to market. When I first saw the spy photos, I thought as long as they have a frunk under that hood to address the primary drawback of a small regular cab truck they will have a winner.

The chicken tax killed the small trucks, where the big trucks are profit making machines for the big 3☺

 

[zipn]

Fwiw we just purchased a 25 maverick hybrid AWD. It tows 4000 lbs, has 4 doors, and gets 40+ mpg in the city and mid 30s on the highway. I have a reservation for a slate. I don’t need 2 pickups, but what I want is a small around town EV with room for me and my wife and a way to haul everything from groceries to (unfortunately) a wheel chair or scooter.

The Slate won’t replace the Maverick. It will compliment it (plan on adding the topper to it).

I wouldn’t recommend the slate (or ANY EV) to anyone who has only 1 car. A true EREV with 100 battery range is the sweet spot but they don’t exist yet ( rouge is coming, as is scout and maybe ford and ram too). For use lucky enough to have a place to plug in at home and a ICE vehicle for road trips the slate makes a great around town car, commuter car. There will be other low cost EVs but the DIY nature of the slate makes it compelling.

 

[cvollers]

It's though, more like 140,000 out of 13M new cars sold annually. Still a small percentage, but is it an underserved market, or a market that may not exist? Which is why the majors haven't created it.

But I'm in too, because a Slate fits my needs perfectly.

If you have enough people say it fits their needs perfectly, then you have a market. Just because it hasn't been identified yet by Big Auto (or Doug Demuro) doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

[Letas]

A point doug makes that does resonate is about price vs value.

The price point is attractive, undoubtedly. But stripping down a car past what is “accepted”, and selling it at this price point does not offer value to a lot of consumers.

 

[Letas]

If you have enough people say it fits their needs perfectly, then you have a market. Just because it hasn't been identified yet by Big Auto (or Doug Demuro) doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

A phrase I see here a lot is “Slate did their research”. But I think it is silly to think Slate somehow did more research than our current automobile market.

 

[cvollers]

A point doug makes that does resonate is about price vs value.

The price point is attractive, undoubtedly. But stripping down a car past what is “accepted”, and selling it at this price point does not offer value to a lot of consumers.

Good point, however I think people define personal value differently. What seems lacking in value to Doug, might offer plenty of value to someone else. That someone else is the target for the Slate.

 

[Letas]

Good point, however I think people define personal value differently. What seems lacking in value to Doug, might offer plenty of value to someone else. That someone else is the target for the Slate.

For sure. Something is worth what people will pay!
I personally get caught up in the eternal battle, knowing I’ll likely need to spend thousands of dollars to make this car “mine”. Impossible to speculate on value until we get pricing for mods too

 

[cvollers]

A phrase I see here a lot is “Slate did their research”. But I think it is silly to think Slate somehow did more research than our current automobile market.

When you are offering slight upgrades on existing products, how much research do you think goes into that kind of thinking? Slate is questioning the whole direction of the auto industry and to do that requires a HUGE amount of research to back up that level of bravery. Jeff Bezos is a very smart guy and no way is he going to buck Big Auto trends without knowing that the company he is backing did their research.

 

[Letas]

When you are offering slight upgrades on existing products, how much research do you think goes into that kind of thinking? Slate is questioning the whole direction of the auto industry and to do that requires a HUGE amount of research to back up that level of bravery. Jeff Bezos is a very smart guy and no way is he going to buck Big Auto trends without knowing that the company he is backing did their research.

These companies have years of sales data to run off of. For sure could they be complacent. But it is much easier for an established company to use internal data and run a trial.

As for the bezos claim, he surely is. But I think his name is carrying more weight than it is worth. His investments cast a WIDE net, many of which are undisclosed. Surely a vote of confidence having his investment, but not much more