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    Volkswagen seeks to counter rivals with budget EV model

    (www.ttnews.com)
    144 points herbertl | 31 comments | 06 Mar 25 00:36 UTC | HN request time: 0.879s | source | bottom
    1. kcb ◴[06 Mar 25 00:48 UTC] No.43274788[source]▶
    Sounds like the US needs to target it with tariffs quick. Surely it will be better for our economy to ensure the survival of a couple zombie automakers than it would be to bring accessible EVs to all.
    replies(6): >>43274825 #>>43274833 #>>43274857 #>>43274861 #>>43275011 #>>43275226 #
    2. jakelazaroff ◴[06 Mar 25 00:55 UTC] No.43274833[source]▶
    You jest but one reason Chinese EVs aren’t available here is that there’s a 100% tariff on them. One hundred percent! Enacted under Biden, no less.
    replies(2): >>43275022 #>>43275034 #
    3. mikestew ◴[06 Mar 25 00:57 UTC] No.43274857[source]▶
    Sounds like the US needs to target it with tariffs quick.

    As if VW would ever bring this to the U. S. Which they’re not.

    4. throwaway48476 ◴[06 Mar 25 00:58 UTC] No.43274861[source]▶
    It's too small for the US market. EU vehicles are on average much smaller.
    replies(4): >>43274874 #>>43274976 #>>43275043 #>>43275072 #
    5. jdminhbg ◴[06 Mar 25 01:01 UTC] No.43274884{3}[source]▶
    No, American cars have no part called a 'boot.'
    replies(4): >>43274902 #>>43274932 #>>43275109 #>>43275155 #
    6. smcleod ◴[06 Mar 25 01:03 UTC] No.43274902{4}[source]▶
    Oh, sorry what do they/you call them? (The storage above the rear axil at the rear for the car)
    replies(2): >>43274910 #>>43274919 #
    7. jdminhbg ◴[06 Mar 25 01:04 UTC] No.43274910{5}[source]▶
    Trunk.
    8. krebby ◴[06 Mar 25 01:05 UTC] No.43274919{5}[source]▶
    Trunk
    9. dylan604 ◴[06 Mar 25 01:06 UTC] No.43274932{4}[source]▶
    Junk in the boot, just don't have the same ring to it
    10. ojbyrne ◴[06 Mar 25 01:11 UTC] No.43274976[source]▶
    s/small/cheap/gi

    Americans like cheap, especially when there's a lot of economic pressure.

    replies(1): >>43281982 #
    11. afavour ◴[06 Mar 25 01:14 UTC] No.43275011[source]▶
    It’s too small for the US market, depressingly
    12. JumpCrisscross ◴[06 Mar 25 01:16 UTC] No.43275022[source]▶
    > one reason Chinese EVs aren’t available here is that there’s a 100% tariff on them

    Our egg prices are also high because we block Mexican and Canadian imports. Trump continues a multi-decade trend of taxing consumers to subsidise business owners.

    replies(2): >>43275566 #>>43275879 #
    13. inverted_flag ◴[06 Mar 25 01:17 UTC] No.43275034[source]▶
    And that’s a good thing. Modern cars are rolling surveillance devices. We don’t need CCP eyes in every garage in America. We also don’t want to lose the manufactiring capacity that the domestic auto makers bring.
    replies(1): >>43275123 #
    14. jghn ◴[06 Mar 25 01:17 UTC] No.43275043[source]▶
    As someone in the US who generally likes VWs and is interested in an EV as their next car, but who also finds the ID4 way too big this car has my attention.
    replies(1): >>43283599 #
    15. Henchman21 ◴[06 Mar 25 01:18 UTC] No.43275055{3}[source]▶
    Bite your tongue; we speak in no such manner.
    16. technothrasher ◴[06 Mar 25 01:21 UTC] No.43275072[source]▶
    Last time I was in Germany, I was looking forward to driving something smaller than the usual beasts here in the US, and something with a manual transmission. But when I got to the Munich airport rental counter, they had “upgraded” me to the biggest automatic Volvo SUV I’d ever seen, because they were out of everything else. It was nice enough on the autobahn, but it was a pain in the rear in the small towns.
    replies(2): >>43275676 #>>43278084 #
    17. timerol ◴[06 Mar 25 01:24 UTC] No.43275109{4}[source]▶
    You can have one added after the fact, though http://philapark.org/wp-content/uploads/P.4.CarBoot.jpg
    18. tehjoker ◴[06 Mar 25 01:26 UTC] No.43275123{3}[source]▶
    CCP surveillance basically can't hurt us. what are they doing? collecting consumer habits like every American company? What would they do with that info? Make a more consumer competitive product? No wonder we get this propaganda all the time. American surveillance on the other hand, well that's connected to our security forces and can very much hurt you.
    19. technothrasher ◴[06 Mar 25 01:29 UTC] No.43275155{4}[source]▶
    Well, to be pendatic, they do have parts called boots. They are the rubber protectors that go over electrical connectors, cv joints, tie rods, etc. But as far as I know, there are no bonnets.
    20. benrutter ◴[06 Mar 25 01:37 UTC] No.43275226[source]▶
    Not an expert but my understanding is Trump's announced but not yet enacted 25% tariffs on EU goods, cars being one of the main motivators[0].

    So assumung 25% tariff then 8% sale on top, the $20,000 would wind up at $27,000 sale price for the USA (although like other people have pointed out, this isn't going to be sold in the USA)

    [0] https://www.statista.com/chart/18771/passenger-car-trade-bet...

    21. labster ◴[06 Mar 25 01:51 UTC] No.43275336{3}[source]▶
    Yeah, here in America, we say it’s not a real car unless the boot is big enough to take all of the rubbish you binned to the tip without hiring a lorry.
    replies(1): >>43275696 #
    22. IncreasePosts ◴[06 Mar 25 02:16 UTC] No.43275566{3}[source]▶
    The US is the largest egg producer on the planet. We export a huge amount of them(#2, behind Netherlands I think). We don't need eggs to be imported from Mexico or Canada.
    replies(1): >>43276214 #
    23. jmugan ◴[06 Mar 25 02:27 UTC] No.43275676{3}[source]▶
    I think I drove that same car out of Frankfurt! But we had five people and luggage, so I guess it worked out.
    24. jmugan ◴[06 Mar 25 02:29 UTC] No.43275696{4}[source]▶
    And we like them to store a lot of petrol so we can drive far on holiday
    25. tehjoker ◴[06 Mar 25 02:54 UTC] No.43275879{3}[source]▶
    the egg prices are high because we are culling egg laying hens infected with H5N1 due to pandemic risk
    26. kalleboo ◴[06 Mar 25 03:52 UTC] No.43276214{4}[source]▶
    The consumers looking at egg prices 3x that of the ones across the border would disagree that they don't need eggs to be imported.
    replies(2): >>43276309 #>>43281931 #
    27. JumpCrisscross ◴[06 Mar 25 04:07 UTC] No.43276309{5}[source]▶
    I suppose he’ll deliver on his campaign promise when our egg exports are tariffed!
    28. jjav ◴[06 Mar 25 09:12 UTC] No.43278084{3}[source]▶
    > I was looking forward to driving something smaller than the usual beasts here in the US, and something with a manual transmission. But when I got to the Munich airport rental counter, they had “upgraded” me to the biggest automatic Volvo SUV

    This was many years ago so I don't know how it is today..

    I reserved the cheapest standard transmission car for rent at the Frankfurt airport. When I got there they downgraded me to an automatic car. I held firm and said I reserved a standard car so that's what I must have. I had to wait over an hour but finally they found me a standard car, a much upgraded model too compared to the cheapest one I reserved.

    29. IncreasePosts ◴[06 Mar 25 16:21 UTC] No.43281931{5}[source]▶
    Okay, and I'm sure Mexican and Canadian consumers would disagree with that because they don't want to deal with egg prices 5x what they're used to.

    Canada and Mexico don't produce enough eggs to have any effect on the egg shortage in america. Which, to note, has been an issue since 2024. It is not related to any kind of trade war that Trump is starting

    30. dagw ◴[06 Mar 25 16:26 UTC] No.43281982{3}[source]▶
    Americans like cheap

    The data doesn't bear that out. Look at the best selling cars in the US, not many cheap cars on that list. Now compare it to the best selling cars in Europe, almost only cheap cars.

    Top 3 car in the US are Ford F-series, Chevy Silverado and Toyota RAV. Top 3 cars in Europe are Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and VW Golf.

    31. rsynnott ◴[06 Mar 25 18:41 UTC] No.43283599{3}[source]▶
    I suspect you don't have much hope; the US didn't even get the id.3 (the Golf equivalent) AFAIK.