A $20k American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, no screen

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PaulHoule ◴[25 Apr 25 15:15 UTC] No.43794437[source]▶

I like it. My wife runs a riding academy and we use a Honda Fit the way some people would use a pickup truck: we can fit 10 bales of wood shavings in the back. [1] We’re dreading when it fails because they don’t make the fit anymore and compact hatchbacks seem to be on the way out. Recent experiences have made me a bit of a Buick enthusiast and I can see driving a 2005-ish sedan except that I won’t get those sawdust bales into the trunk. We are also thinking of fitting in EV into the fleet, so far the used Nissan Leaf has been the main contender but this is a pickup truck I could get into.

[1] We were profitable from day one because we didn’t buy a $80,000 pickup on day one the way everybody else does.

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rozap ◴[25 Apr 25 15:48 UTC] No.43794897[source]▶

>>43794437 #

I also love this design and I'm happy that someone is doing it. I think it's unlike anything else on the market.

But, they won't necessarily be competing against other new things on the market. My wife also rides horses and we got a $5000 20 year old F250 which is very basic but has been bulletproof, and it can tow. I imagine old, basic trucks, either cheap domestic ones or kei trucks will be what this thing competes against.

I hope it does well. This is the kind of design thinking that the auto industry needs.

Also I'm increasingly convinced that the Honda fit is what peak performance looks like. But when it dies you do have options - maybe a Ford Transit Connect or a Metris.

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PaulHoule ◴[25 Apr 25 16:03 UTC] No.43795125[source]▶

>>43794897 #

To be fair, a lot of farms need a big-ass pickup truck because they are always towing horses to go to shows or trailheads. We have 70 beautiful acres and a network of trails my wife built that were inspired by Het Vondelpark in Amsterdam. [1] If everything goes right we trailer in a horse once and never have to trailer it out although some horses don't fit in or have to go to the vet.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vondelpark

The Fit, however, is really genius. It's got the utility of an SUV in the body of a compact. I can't believe Honda's excuse that it wasn't selling -- in my area it is a running gag that if you have a blue Fit somebody will park another blue Fit next to you at the supermarket or that it makes a great getaway car, if somebody catches you doing donuts in their lawn you can say it musta been somebody elese.

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1. 542354234235 ◴[25 Apr 25 17:40 UTC] No.43796459[source]▶

>>43795125 #

If the grocery store parking lot is any indication, farming is the number one profession in America. All farmers can have their big trucks and still regulate out the other 99% of the 22-foot monsters used to commute to offices.

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2. potato3732842 ◴[25 Apr 25 17:52 UTC] No.43796608[source]▶

>>43796459 (TP) #

Comments like these are rooted in selection bias (willful or otherwise).

You're never gonna see trucks being used at the grocery store because people who are in the process of using said truck for truck stuff aren't usually stopping at the grocery store as they do it, and this is before you adjust for what kind of grocery stores HN shops at vs the kind that people who use the crap out of their trucks shop at. If you live the median "suburb to office and back" life you'll never see trucks doing anything. You need to be on the road and not in a cube during hours when "things" get done to see that. And the people who do things with their trucks mostly don't live and cross paths with the people who don't.

I could use the exact same faulty logic you're using here with slightly different parameters and come up with the conclusion that cars don't need a second row of seating.

And before anyone projects anything stupid at me, I own a minivan.

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3. PaulHoule ◴[25 Apr 25 18:02 UTC] No.43796717[source]▶

>>43796459 (TP) #

If you're towing a horse trailer you really want the biggest truck you can get or a GMC Suburban or something like that.

On the other hand in the suburbs of some New England towns that I'm sure are full of white collar workers you see nothing but trucks in the driveway and I laugh when I see a Ford F350 with a lift kit and commercial plates idling and see, a few minutes later, a few pencilneck geeks come out of a frat house and climb into it.

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4. PaulDavisThe1st ◴[25 Apr 25 18:41 UTC] No.43797154[source]▶

>>43796608 #

> You're never gonna see trucks being used at the grocery store because people who are in the process of using said truck for truck stuff aren't usually stopping at the grocery store as they do it,

I think you missed the point of the GP post. They were noting the presence of (a lot of) trucks at the grocery store parking lot. Whether they are towing/hauling isn't really the point.

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5. alabastervlog ◴[25 Apr 25 19:05 UTC] No.43797417[source]▶

>>43796459 (TP) #

I've found this to be very regional. There are parts of the country where there are a lot fewer trucks and most appear to actually see a meaningful amount of real-truck use. There are other parts where like 40% of the goddamn cars on the road are pristine, bloated modern trucks that are just used as commuter vehicles.

6. parpfish ◴[25 Apr 25 20:06 UTC] No.43798005[source]▶

>>43796717 #

depending on the rurality of that part of new england, they might have a legitimate claim to need the ground clearance and 4wd in the winter.

sometimes backroads aren't plowed well. or they. are plowed well and you need to scale a giant snowbank to get into your driveway.

(although my personal preference would be for the industry to make more rally-inspired high-clearance AWD sedans/wagons to fit this niche)

7. PaulHoule ◴[25 Apr 25 21:10 UTC] No.43798548{3}[source]▶

>>43797154 #

There are trucks and then there are trucks. The Ford Maverick gets 42mpg in the city, 35mpg on the highway and is reasonably priced. If you value economy, ecology, efficiency and such that's right up there with a compact car. The F150 is a L size electric truck, an S size truck will appeal to people.

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