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"New."

Peter, your one line near the conclusion of this week's entry pretty much says it all:

"...The current Chevrolet Bolt RS EV is a real buy in the market at $32,995, but it will only be available for a year, to be replaced by something much better, allegedly..."

Well, I've said it before on different situations, but I'll state it again here because I'm sure that it will prove to be more than appropriate in this instance, too, i.e. "...Remember when manufacturers all used to proclaim 'New...! And IMPROVED...!!!' as the advertising lead-off to some variation or other in their product? Today, they simply say, "...NEW...!!!"

Eddy S.
Newcastle, Ontario, CANADA.



Penalties.

I remember when William Clay Ford, Jr. said that Ford was going to sell 250,000 Escape Hybrids in 2005. Then they got sued by Toyota for "intellectual property theft." Ford lost in court and had to pay $2500 for each Escape Hybrid sold. Then, Farley arrived in Dearborn from Toyota, which ended-up serving as an additional penalty for Ford. What's funny about the Maverick is that it's a mid-size truck, just like what Jerome York invented at Dodge back in the 1990's, before he made the mistake of doing business with those chumps.

Ptg0
Highland Park, Michigan



GM's value offerings.

On the affordability crisis in the auto industry today, I could not agree more. But I think GM deserves a shout out for the Chevy Trax/Buick Envista. For the price, both vehicles offer great value. Proof that entry level vehicles do not have to be penalty boxes.

Jeff W.
Albany, New York



Affordable and desirable?

Could it be that automakers are evolving their strategy similar to the private aircraft industry? Build much fewer vehicles using less materials and workers and charge the moon. A new Cessna 172S Skyhawk, which is a 4-passenger airplane with a 4-cylinder rated at 180HP and is the most produced aircraft in history, goes for about $410,000 and optioned out about $550,000. They sold a whopping 191 of them worldwide last year, and it was considered a good year. So, if automakers increase the MSRP tenfold, and decimate the head count, maybe they generate the same revenue, but have more profit. There's talk of 96-month loans - eight years? You're upside down for about five of those years or more. The only way out is to either cater to the 8-figure income crowd or figure out how to build affordable, desirable cars again. Maybe a two-tier safety strategy. Tier 1 would be present day vehicles, Tier 2 would have no screens, nanny-tronics, airbags, and manual everything, including a 3- or 4-speed manual transmission and would not have to comply with federal collision or EPA mandates. I bet a five-passenger SUV could be built profitably for less than $20G. We consumers are pricing ourselves out of the market; the car companies are just suppling demand.

Chris Blanchard
Prescott, Wisconsin



We'll worry about it tomorrow.

On my way in this morning the local automotive beat journalist on the AM had a report on affordability. Coincidence? Anyway, his bought and paid for assessment was that affordability is an illusion. He even had an independent expert quoted to support his take. With rising wages and longer terms, the payments actually haven’t increased. It’s laughable that they think if you pay longer the payment is the same. Thus, it’s still affordable! Maybe he is right. People are still getting in line to buy these overpriced behemoths with no regard to how long they will pay on it.

JRR
Plymouth, Michigan



Clean Slate?

I have a long-term loan with large payments because, before the recent scourge of inflation, rates were so low that paying cash was stupid. I think that many smart people took loans like I did. Thus, I look at the loan payment reports with a grain of salt. However, I likely will never take another car loan like that, as I don't see low interest rates coming back. The only way we're going to get cheap vehicles again is if people pull their wallets out for cheap vehicles. If we buy Slates and make them a win, then other automakers will follow. If we all wait and see, Slate will fold like others have. That would be a shame.

If Bezos wants to make even more money, once Slate starts selling, he should list them on Amazon.com.

Jon S.
Fremont, California



Street life.

I live in an over 55 community, a pretty nice one. Houses here can sell for upwards of $8-$900,000, so the people who live here are financially capable of buying any car they want. I see BMWs, a Mercedes or two, and high end SUVs, both domestic and imported. But recently I'm starting to see a lot more Hyundais, and - no shit - Kias! Even just driving around outside the development it seems like I stop at a light and look around, and yeah - Kias. One thing I rarely see these days are expensive American sedans. The local world is populated by Hondas and Toyotas, along with the Kia/Hyundai onslaught.

Ted R.
Raleigh, North Carolina



Pricing.

I believe you are 100% correct, not sustainable as a business model or as a consumer value. A couple of other factors to add into the mix, increasing insurance premiums and cost of maintenance and repairs.

TB
Gainesville, FL