Why is Slate relevant vs. legacy automaker offerings?

[5ohbrad]

Interesting interview. I work with new vehicles from Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota and can say with confidence every year the issues get worse. Here an inside engineer’s account of what he observed:



P.S. This also explains my reasoning for being dead against any unnecessary features and options.

 

[AZFox]

There's lots of good information in there. Thanks for posting it.

Planned Obsolescence has become pervasive.

Here's hoping Slate Auto bucks that trend.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

There's lots of good information in there. Thanks for posting it.

Planned Obsolescence has become pervasive.

Here's hoping Slate Auto bucks that trend.

Currently it seems like Slate plans on making most of their money from add ons that can be bought throughout the life of the vehicle. So if they can still make money on a vehicle even after it's 2nd or 3rd owner there's a built in incentive for Slate to make their truck as durable and reliable as possible while keeping the price down.

 

[cadblu]

Currently it seems like Slate plans on making most of their money from add ons that can be bought throughout the life of the vehicle. So if they can still make money on a vehicle even after it's 2nd or 3rd owner there's a built in incentive for Slate to make their truck as durable and reliable as possible while keeping the price down.

Do we really believe Slate is going to cash in on future upgrades for years to come? Didn’t they say, and even encourage enterprising 3rd party suppliers to provide aftermarket equipment and parts? STL files and open sourcing should be readily available to flood the market with Slate add ons, likely at a fraction of the OEM price.

I can totally envision that Amazon, eBay, and even Aliexpress will be flooded with sellers of aftermarket parts for interior, exterior, appearance items, etc. within a few months after Slate begins initial deliveries.

While I admire Slate’s marketing strategy for customization, it’s not a guaranteed source of revenue once 3rd party suppliers get into the game.

 

[Duke Slater]

Do we really believe Slate is going to cash in on future upgrades for years to come? Didn’t they say, and even encourage enterprising 3rd party suppliers to provide aftermarket equipment and parts? STL files and open sourcing should be readily available to flood the market with Slate add ons, likely at a fraction of the OEM price.

I can totally envision that Amazon, eBay, and even Aliexpress will be flooded with sellers of aftermarket parts for interior, exterior, appearance items, etc. within a few months after Slate begins initial deliveries.

While I admire Slate’s marketing strategy for customization, it’s not a guaranteed source of revenue once 3rd party suppliers get into the game.

I’ve been burned by 3rd party accessories too many times to keep doing that. I’ll be buying OEM parts only. If they don’t offer something I want, it must not be all that important.

 

[Adam W]

While I admire Slate’s marketing strategy for customization, it’s not a guaranteed source of revenue once 3rd party suppliers get into the game.

Someone recently mentioned that Slate has a few ex-Harley Davidson people on board, and I think that's a good point of comparison. Harley owners are swimming in 3rd party aftermarket part and customization options, and they have only strengthened people's connection to the brand.