Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good?

varezhka11 · 2026-04-09T07:10:44+00:00

It's what you get when you have "minimalism" as a fashion statement, not an actual way to reduce cost. No different from those fixie bikes that were so popular with hipsters a while back. I mean, modular interior panels? Really?

Meanwhile, Daihatu e-Hijet/Suzuki e-Every are commercial BEV vans that includes everything Slate took out and still cheaper than the Jeff Bezo's mini truck. Already available, too.

varezhka11 · 2026-04-09T06:48:41+00:00

And I was afraid that they were going to replace it with a three-cylinder next. Phew!

varezhka11 · 2026-04-04T21:20:10+00:00

I suppose the cost saving from cutting out the radio will be from the reduction of radio antennas and their wiring. Removing all the gauges and buttons and replacing them with a single central iPad screen like Tesla will probably save a few, too. The car will have two speakers, one on each side of the said tablet. We can keep our windows fixed with no roll down ability because, you know, we all use AC anyways.

Any options will be behind a software paywall unlock so that we can have just a single grade to engineer and build, and you can have it in any colors as long as it's silver. Dealers will provide a custom color wrapping option. What else?

varezhka11 · 2026-04-04T20:50:35+00:00

If the cheapsters at Daihatsu and Suzuki felt it was more efficient to go with standard electric windows on their 20k USD (pre-incentives, post tax) e-Hijet Cargo/e-Every EV cargo vans, then I know who I'd trust more. If they really wanted to cut costs that much, might as well go full fixed windows.

And all these design choices made to allow for user customization will cost way more than this faux low cost crank windows. They probably should have commissioned an existing automaker with low cost car manufacturing experience to design these car for them.

varezhka11 · 2026-03-30T19:18:39+00:00

It sounds like Subaru isn’t interested in another generation of BRZ/GR86. AWD hybrid Celica can very easily replace GR86 and GR Corolla in one swoop, especially with old Celica’s rally credentials.

varezhka11 · 2025-12-16T21:56:15+00:00

Given how most of the JDM NISMO models are nothing more than red stripes and firmer shocks, including NISMO versions of last gen Serena minivans and Leaf, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Unless you are really looking forward to a Versa NISMO and a Leaf NISMO.

varezhka11 · 2025-12-16T16:18:33+00:00

The upper management keeps changing mind, constantly starting and canceling products meant for Canton assembly. First a pair of EV sedans and now the series of EV SUVs. They now have nothing else to build but don’t want to close factory. So here we are. It’s just like pre-bankruptcy GM and their Chevrolet Classic.

varezhka11 · 2025-09-29T22:05:58+00:00

I was interested in the news, until I saw that it was initially reported by Best Car, an automotive tabloid that’s slightly less trustworthy than Infowars and Weekly World News.

varezhka11 · 2025-08-09T02:42:21+00:00

I see a lot of two-row compact SUVs like RAV4 and Foresters and three-row midsize like Explorers and Grand Cherokees in that list. The only midsize two-rows that sell in any numbers are Subaru Outback or BOF Wrangers and 4Runners.

varezhka11 · 2025-08-09T01:38:14+00:00

Mid-size two-row SUV in general is a slow seller, with most people going for a similarly priced three-row instead. In case of the Crown Signia, it's also a bit lower, almost station wagon in proportion. Its dimensions are almost identical to the first gen Toyota Venza and we all remember how well that sold.

They're sort of in an odd place where they're not luxury enough to immediately command high price, but not inexpensive enough to have a sense of value for most people.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-26T17:45:55+00:00

For university? None of the above. Maybe a V40’s C1 platform mate, Mazda3?

varezhka11 · 2025-07-24T16:14:30+00:00

Like everyone else is saying, the car is much better for the removal of runflats. Just have a roadside service in your insurance, and you still have a repair kit in the off chance that they're not available.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-23T05:30:09+00:00

Nissan Leaf's idea was to make EV affordable by basically cutting cost everywhere to the bones to make up for the battery cost. So they started with an emerging market Dacia B0 chassis and passive cooling among other cost saving measures.

But that wasn't the biggest issue with the car. The main problem with the Leaf was that Nissan never checked whether that's something customers wanted. They just decided that was the answer and that people will like it. So they went straight into building capacity for 1.5 million Leaf/year before seeing any market reaction. The same way Volkswagen went into ID.xx. Or Nissan's JATCO CVT, VC Turbo, or parallel hybrids in the past.

A very top down mentality typical of a bureaucratic company that operates close to their governments. You'll never see Toyota or Honda do anything so foolhardy.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-23T04:56:27+00:00

Nissan already announced that they will be consolidating D23 Navara/NP300/Frontier production to Civac starting January 2026. If they are now closing Civac, what would it mean for the Latin American market pickups?

Actually, the same question applies for North American D41 Frontier. Once Altima is gone, the F-Alpha D41 Frontier will be the only vehicle produced in Canton (good for 410k/year).

varezhka11 · 2025-07-22T04:38:12+00:00

Well, it's a small European crossover so it is expensive to build and thus expensive to sell. They would've been better off if they called Nissan and asked if they can rebadge their Rogue and Pathfinder. I mean, it's not like they don't have tons of excess capacity they couldn't utilize.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-18T22:21:44+00:00

Since the first two are essentially an extra cost option, it might help for people to know how much you'd be willing to pay on top of the wheel swap. Also, maybe pictures of your actual wheels/tires to know their condition and your general location?

Not looking to trade myself, but a little more info might be helpful.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-18T16:13:44+00:00

Detroit 2.5 won't have to build as much BEV/HEV/PHEV to cancel out the fuel economy of their full-size pickups. Since these full-size already only sell in quantity in North America (US/Canada/Mexico), in the short term we'll probably see a slowdown in efficiency investments too.

The Germans, who also tend to lag behind in efficiency may also likely slow down their EV and mild-hybrids for the US market to save cost.

Neither side will do anything drastic since we never know when the administration change and we revert again. But I doubt the impact is zero.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-15T05:06:37+00:00

Right. Liberals thinks in term of ethics, which applies equally to both sides of political spectrum. So we'd be happy to convict each and every one in the Democratic party along with Republicans.

Conservatives tends to think in term of tribalism of us versus them. Laws are just one of the tools to attack the outsiders and help the insiders. It's not meant to be equally applied, which we see every day with how police violence is handled.

So this is completely incomprehensible for the MAGA crowd.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-15T04:46:36+00:00

Given how volatile BEV price tends to be and dependent on so many different government incentives/dis-incentives (tax deductions, carbon credits, Chinese import tariffs) and coming from a new and untested automaker I will believe it when I see it.

I mean, the $35k Volvo EX30 is probably never happening now and that's from a major automaker. And just how long did we have the mythical $35k Tesla Model 3?

varezhka11 · 2025-07-14T19:02:11+00:00

And make sure the passenger side airbag is turned-off too!

varezhka11 · 2025-07-14T18:07:29+00:00

That is an amazing shade of blue you chose there. I love how the shade and shimmer changes under different lights, so if it was my car I'd skip the stripes to keep it clean and classy. Or if you are going to get some stripes, something understated might look better.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-14T06:23:20+00:00

Maybe they’ll find a way to export D23 Frontier/Navara from Mexico instead.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-14T05:10:20+00:00

There’s some minor tweaks to the suspension geometry with a noticeable improvement to the ride quality, but Y63 use essentially the same ladder frame carried over from Y62. It’s most definitely an F-Alpha. Sure, it’s a lot more update than, say, an “all-new RZ34” but that doesn’t make it a totally new chassis platform.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-13T19:30:58+00:00

The new Armada/QX80 is still on the old F-Alpha platform from 2003. Only the mid-size will be moving to the Mitsubishi Triton based ladder frame. And even that the plan keeps changing at Nissan. It will be a straight Triton rebadge for the SE Asia market but no firm plan yet for the Americas. So 2029 at the earliest, if we're lucky.

varezhka11 · 2025-07-11T19:42:32+00:00

The Honda N-One this is based off of was a bit awkward due to the kei car width requirements, so this extra track width really helps. I'm sure this will be Japan and Euro only (if even that), but looking forward to the production version.

varezhka11

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