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The $25k car is going extinct?

(media.hubspot.com)
319 points pseudolus | 2 comments | 29 Jun 25 15:59 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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puzzlingcaptcha ◴[30 Jun 25 06:20 UTC] No.44420041[source]▶
You can still buy a new subcompact car (like a Renault Clio or Skoda Fabia) in Europe for under 20k EUR.

The more interesting question is why these cars disappeared in the US. And while many of the factors discussed here are true for both EU and US (inflation, interest rates, manufacturer profit margins etc) I am surprised no one mentioned the 'SUV loophole' of US regulations that effectively boosted the SUVs (off-road vehicles are classified as non-passenger automobiles with everything that entails, notably much less stringent emission standards) and made the small cars unprofitable to make in comparison.

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whatevaa ◴[30 Jun 25 07:55 UTC] No.44420619[source]▶
They are disappearing in europe too. Emissions and other required by law equipment costs just as much on cheap car as it does on expensive one. At some point, cheap cars stop beinf cheap, just a bit cheaper but with way worse quality, so they stop making sense.
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A_D_E_P_T ◴[30 Jun 25 08:16 UTC] No.44420750[source]▶
It's true that affordable European models are disappearing. The average mid-range offering from, say, Volkswagen, has become quite surprisingly expensive.

But this is why Chinese cars are taking over in Europe. Half the new cars I see are from Geely, BYD, Chery, etc. These average about 20,000-25,000 EUR new.

My own opinion, having looked into the matter a bit, is that you'd have to be insane to buy a Volkswagen or BMW at 2-3x the price. If I were in the market for a new car, I wouldn't consider anything but a Chinese car.

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cpursley ◴[30 Jun 25 10:05 UTC] No.44421425[source]▶
I’d actually argue that it’s not the cost of Chinese cars but their actual offerings. Compared to the state of Chinese cars a decade ago their current product products are really interesting and offer features that European, American and other Asian models don’t. There’s a great channel called wheels boy on YouTube that’s worth checking out.
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1. klabb3 ◴[30 Jun 25 10:49 UTC] No.44421675[source]▶
I know very little about cars but it seems to be on parity with the rest of the market. The days of Chinesium are over. Or rather, you’re seeing very similar quality no matter which country the product was ”designed” in, as they like to put it. All of the old quality consumer brands have cheaped out and are same or worse than no-name brands on Amazon. I just bought a Miele vacuum that’s ”designed in Germany”. Very flimsy build quality.

So why not skip the middleman and go directly to the source? The only annoyance for me is the ridiculous white labeling. Most no-name brands are seemingly coming from the same factories / same designs, so it’s often impossible to find quality reviews. Probably partly Bezos fault because Amazons review system are less trustworthy than a used car dealership. So I’d rather pay more for known flaws than the hit-or-miss gamble of no-name brands with fake reviews. I hope Chinese merchants catch up, because they’re losing customers for no particularly good reason. I just want the reviews, warts and all.

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2. BlueTemplar ◴[02 Jul 25 17:04 UTC] No.44446135[source]▶
What about the hardware that has also been manufactured in Europe though ? (Alternatively, South Korea/Japan.)

I have been putting my trust in these. (Also looking for 3+ years of manufacturer warranty, guarantees of 10ish years for replaceable parts, high reparability scores...)

Hopefully, they won't let me down.

(Also, never buying on Amazon. Had to break that rule a few times of course over the past decade, but only for <100€ items.)