Why Startups (and Tesla) Will Struggle with Electric Pick Ups

[Diehard]

I have a feeling that TSLA knows they can't convert your typical Ford pickup buyer. If you look at the difference visually between the F150 and CT, it's pretty clear they're not going for that market. I have a lot of friends who have pickups and they hate the way the CT looks. I on the other hand have never been interested in a pickup truck in my life. But here I am.

Don’t tell anyone but I secretly want it to remain that way.

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[M4TT_Fullerton]

I have a feeling that TSLA knows they can't convert your typical Ford pickup buyer. If you look at the difference visually between the F150 and CT, it's pretty clear they're not going for that market.

As an owner of a Model Y and an F450 work truck, I can’t wait until my next work truck parallels the benefits of the Model Y. I’m sick of dealing with and paying for a Powerstroke diesel motor. The ramping up of the emissions requirements alone is strangling the technology to death.

I also drive a Fire Truck with a Detroit Diesel motor, same issue. The troubleshooting and maintenance costs are mind blowing, and mostly due to emissions control systems.

Sure the CT looks different, and a lot of people probably don’t like it right now. But... it makes my truck look super old all of the sudden.

 

[Crissa]

GM at least has the technology, they can make a solid competitor. The Bolt has been out four years.

They should look into why it doesn't sell, and why it's so much cheaper on the used market. As EVs go, Bolts are underpriced on the used market. Very good values. And yes, they do roadtrips well, too, if the network is out there.

But they sold a tenth of what Tesla did.

-Crissa

 

[cheeseandcraigerz]

GM at least has the technology, they can make a solid competitor. The Bolt has been out four years.

They should look into why it doesn't sell, and why it's so much cheaper on the used market. As EVs go, Bolts are underpriced on the used market. Very good values. And yes, they do roadtrips well, too, if the network is out there.

But they sold a tenth of what Tesla did.

-Crissa

That might be the nicest thing anyones ever said about a Chevy Bolt. lol

 

[cheeseandcraigerz]

As an owner of a Model Y and an F450 work truck, I can’t wait until my next work truck parallels the benefits of the Model Y. I’m sick of dealing with and paying for a Powerstroke diesel motor. The ramping up of the emissions requirements alone is strangling the technology to death.

I also drive a Fire Truck with a Detroit Diesel motor, same issue. The troubleshooting and maintenance costs are mind blowing, and mostly due to emissions control systems.

Sure the CT looks different, and a lot of people probably don’t like it right now. But... it makes my truck look super old all of the sudden.

Those are good points. Aside from the visual looks, the CT utility is unlike any other. I assume most people with work trucks care about most that over looks. Definitely seems to look like its from the future though. So who knows, maybe all transportation will look like this one day!

 

[Crissa]

That might be the nicest thing anyones ever said about a Chevy Bolt. lol

Well, if you want to go EV and only have a third of what a Tesla costs, well, the Bolt is the only one that's going to get you that performance for the price.

Bolts charge decently fast, they have alright range, they're as nice as anything in the 20-30k price group. They're basically a hot hatch. Why doesn't GM sell more of them?

They have a recall over them right now, but there really were only four fires out of nearly a hundred thousand cars. That's like, nothing compared to an ICE. And they over-the-air fixed it, too, at least, removed the danger.

But that's not why they don't sell.

-Crissa

 

[Diehard]

GM at least has the technology, they can make a solid competitor. The Bolt has been out four years.

They should look into why it doesn't sell, and why it's so much cheaper on the used market. As EVs go, Bolts are underpriced on the used market. Very good values. And yes, they do roadtrips well, too, if the network is out there.

But they sold a tenth of what Tesla did.

-Crissa

Your grandma is making a damn good coffee and it is free. The supermodel that has not gotten her break in Hollywood yet is selling an overpriced coffee in Starbucks around the corner. Which one are you going to go for?

 

[FutureBoy]

For a short time, I worked at a GM dealership. Not successfully which is why it was for a short time.

One of the things we were told during training was that women came in to buy a car based on looks (especially color) and the men would come in looking for functionality above all else. Supposedly the men wanted to know the specs and didn't care how it looked.

So I find it really revealing that all these macho men who are life long fans of the major auto pickups are complaining about how the CT looks. Seems like looks are taking front and center on the decision of what next vehicle to buy. Why not compare on functionality? Because then you would be buying a CT and you don't want to be seen driving one of those.....

 

[Crissa]

Your grandma is making a damn good coffee and it is free. The supermodel that has not gotten her break in Hollywood yet is selling an overpriced coffee in Starbucks around the corner. Which one are you going to go for?

So everyone goes to grandma Tesla?

Personally, my decision process has always been:

1. Could I make the payments?
2. Can I fit my stuff in it?
3. Is is fuel efficient?
4. Does it kill me to drive it?
5. Will they let me buy it?

Literally only one of those is a rating, and I always go for the most efficient in a performance class. Always. Maybe I'd think about looks if at some point I found two cars that had the same TCO.

-Crissa

 

[rodmacpherson]

Yeah, is the Hummer competitively priced?

-Crissa

No... Not even close. I don't think it will sell well. Maybe GM doesn't think it needs to sell a ton at the current price above $100k to make money.

Wow, that is a bit of an understatement.
Shall we look at prior years sales of Hummers from the first 3 generations?


Hummer H1 Yearly production[source: Wikipedia]

Model year	Total production
1992	316
1993	612
1994	718
1995	1,432
1996	1,374
1997	1,209
1998	945
1999	831
2000	1,333
2001	869
2002	704
2003	494
2004	252
2005	0
2006	729
Total	11,818

Hummer H2 Yearly American sales[source: Wikipedia]

Calendar Year	Total American sales
2002[17]	18,861
2003	34,529
2004[18]	29,898
2005	33,140
2006[19]	17,472
2007	12,431
2008[20]	6,095
2009[21]	1,513
Total	153,026

Hummer H3 Yearly U.S. sales[source: Wikipedia]

Calendar year	H3	H3T	Total
2005	33,140	N/A	33,140
2006[9]	54,052	N/A	54,052
2007	43,431	N/A	43,431
2008[10]	20,681	692	21,373
2009[11]	5,487	2,046	7,533
Total	156,791	2,738	159,529

Cybertruck already has enough reservations to out compete ALL versions of Hummer, for every year since it was released. GM doesn't give a shit about competing, they only want to flex. That is why they are doing a Hummer and not a Silverado.

 

[FutureBoy]

So everyone goes to grandma Tesla?

-Crissa

I do say grandma, what fast cars you have.....

 

[Diehard]

So everyone goes to grandma Tesla?

-Crissa

Grandma is Bolt. My point is Tesla went for Sexy. GM went with affordable and definitely could do a bit better with the design. Folks care about the cool factor more than you think.

 

[Crissa]

Grandma is Bolt. My point is Tesla went for Sexy.

Tesla didn't pay for ads and GM did.

Certainly borrowing a body from an ICE car didn't help the Bolt any. But they also never made more than ~20k a year, so clearly they didn't want to sell more, either. Where's the ramp up?

-Crissa

 

[cheeseandcraigerz]

Well, if you want to go EV and only have a third of what a Tesla costs, well, the Bolt is the only one that's going to get you that performance for the price.

Bolts charge decently fast, they have alright range, they're as nice as anything in the 20-30k price group. They're basically a hot hatch. Why doesn't GM sell more of them?

They have a recall over them right now, but there really were only four fires out of nearly a hundred thousand cars. That's like, nothing compared to an ICE. And they over-the-air fixed it, too, at least, removed the danger.

But that's not why they don't sell.

-Crissa

Thats true. So in your opinion, why don't they sell?

 

[rodmacpherson]

Cybertruck already has enough reservations to out compete ALL versions of Hummer, for every year since it was released. GM doesn't give a shit about competing, they only want to flex. That is why they are doing a Hummer and not a Silverado.

If Wikipedia's numbers are right, GM only has to sell 55,000 Hummer EVs next year to be able to brag that the 2022 Hummer EV is the best selling Hummer ever, and I'm sure that is their whole strategy.

Do a stunt, showing you can make a manly, mean looking truck with decent specs as an EV then sit back and sell mostly the same old stuff you always have.