Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

[chucchinchilla]

You know if the VW dealers got to sell Scouts it would be minimum $10k added if not more.

That would make my purchase decision very easy.

 

[Chaz26]

It wasn’t just the price from VW. It was the markup from the dealers. I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with that garbage.

Yep, there were $10-$15k markups on them at the dealers near me. I've seen one on the road so far, so hopefully not many people bought them with those markups. They do have some decent discounts now, but still the range seems too low to me, especially at the price point they're at.

 

[J Alynn]

In ID Buzz news, Volkswagen Dealers received the following comms yesterday...
View attachment 12234

Everybody loved the ID Buzz when it came out. They loved the looks, the practicality, the space, how it drove, features, everything, however few bought them because of high price and low range. The lesson here for everyone, including Scout, is that no matter how great your product is, if you don't deliver on price/range you'll fail. Keep that base price at or below $60K, and let's see some base range figures starting with a 3.

It’s a shame they are killing it for now Funny while in London in March we saw a lot of the buzzes. But the minimal range works in the UK. Doesn’t and never was gonna satisfy Americans at the $$$ especially after crappy dealer mark ups

 

[J Alynn]

You know if the VW dealers got to sell Scouts it would be minimum $10k added if not more.

And they would ignore the BEVs and only push Harvesters

 

[cyure]

And they would ignore the BEVs and only push Harvesters

Oh for sure. Gotta get those service dollars.

 

[J Alynn]

Fair point and screw those guys. That said, dealers have stopped marking them up for quite some time now yet cars are still sitting on lots unsold with main complaints being it's too expensive and/or no point in owning a van if you can't road trip it due to small range.

Imagine if the hadn’t marked them up in the beginning they could have sold them. Same crap the Ford dealerships pulled with Broncos. Now they are a dime a dozen and I see them everywhere

 

[dreamweaver]

All I can say is keep'm coming.

bp pulse drops a 40‑bay DC fast‑charging hub at Chicago O’Hare

bp pulse just opened a 40‑bay dc fast charging hub near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, adding to its growing network of airport charging stations.

electrek.co

 

[Mousehunter]

Not everyone loved the Buzz when it came out - although I had a crush on it during design. Changes in the looks might not have been huge, and probably were completely necessary - but I liked the concept looks a lot more than the production. But again, most of the changes were probably necessary practical considerations (splitting body panels to make repairs possible, larger gaps to allow for practical manufacturing tolerances, etc...) Still, to me they hardly resembled each other. It went from a ultra clean modern van, to almost a commercial box to me. But yes, missing the target price (both msrp and dealer markups), and screwing the expected (hopeful) range probably lost more sales than practical design considerations from concept to production.

Early in design, industry "experts" were expecting 350 mile range. I think production was 240 (almost 1/3 less), then user videos showed how much more that would tank during practical driving. I saw videos where drivers were getting about 100 miles (during a winter storm) 20-80% range.

 

[J Alynn]

All I can say is keep'm coming.

bp pulse drops a 40‑bay DC fast‑charging hub at Chicago O’Hare

bp pulse just opened a 40‑bay dc fast charging hub near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, adding to its growing network of airport charging stations.

electrek.co

Very nice. Moving forward

 

[THil08]

Anyone watch the CEO of SLATE do a Q&A? She’s very dry, no humor, or yet alone life. Definitely not like my Uncle Scotty!

 

[oldgeeksguide]

In ID Buzz news, Volkswagen Dealers received the following comms yesterday...
View attachment 12234

Everybody loved the ID Buzz when it came out. They loved the looks, the practicality, the space, how it drove, features, everything, however few bought them because of high price and low range. The lesson here for everyone, including Scout, is that no matter how great your product is, if you don't deliver on price/range you'll fail. Keep that base price at or below $60K, and let's see some base range figures starting with a 3.

They also took a long time to get to market, which didn’t help.

 

[Mousehunter]

vs

I don't blame them for the changes anymore. The concept was not practical. The blend from the hood to the glass, not practical like the production. The contours of the hood might have been hard to bend. US does not allow replacing side view mirrors with cameras, change in grill probably helps airflow. Production lights vs concept LED's. People do like door handles. But the feel changed from a retro-vw bus to a revisited VW Transporter.

 

[dreamweaver]

BYD's 5-minute Fast-charging.

https://insideevs.com/features/782245/byd-breathrough-2026-megawatt-charging/

 

[cyure]

Well…in this thing really coming in 6 months.

 

[J Alynn]

Well…in this thing really coming in 6 months.

View attachment 12262

Don’t like the truck and I’m partial to the cookies I decorate better

 

[RodorW]

What market is slate even for, it’s small and practically no range for the American market, and the ridiculous “bring your own” system makes 20k seem like it’s still to much for what you you have to already own

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

What market is slate even for, it’s small and practically no range for the American market, and the ridiculous “bring your own” system makes 20k seem like it’s still to much for what you you have to already own

I have only rarely been without a pickup truck, and the best pickup I had while living in the city was a small, 1989 Toyota Pickup with a small space behind the seats in the cab and a 6-foot bed. If I lived in the city, I would much prefer a smaller pickup rather than the Lightning, or even a Tacoma. Those are too big for comfortable driving in the city.

If the Slate had a 6-foot bed instead of whatever it has, and if it had a single cab, I’d consider it. I’d use it for ranch work as well as local driving instead of taking the Lightning.

But the short bed, double cab, midgate nonsense is useless to me.

 

[dreamweaver]

I have only rarely been without a pickup truck, and the best pickup I had while living in the city was a small, 1989 Toyota Pickup with a small space behind the seats in the cab and a 6-foot bed. If I lived in the city, I would much prefer a smaller pickup rather than the Lightning, or even a Tacoma. Those are too big for comfortable driving in the city.

If the Slate had a 6-foot bed instead of whatever it has, and if it had a single cab, I’d consider it. I’d use it for ranch work as well as local driving instead of taking the Lightning.

But the short bed, double cab, midgate nonsense is useless to me.

This why I like the idea of Scout making a two door 80 like EV pickup for running around town. Probably won't have a 6' bed though.

 

[Chuckles]

I have only rarely been without a pickup truck, and the best pickup I had while living in the city was a small, 1989 Toyota Pickup with a small space behind the seats in the cab and a 6-foot bed. If I lived in the city, I would much prefer a smaller pickup rather than the Lightning, or even a Tacoma. Those are too big for comfortable driving in the city.

If the Slate had a 6-foot bed instead of whatever it has, and if it had a single cab, I’d consider it. I’d use it for ranch work as well as local driving instead of taking the Lightning.

But the short bed, double cab, midgate nonsense is useless to me.

Slate is a single cab two seater unless you opt for the bed cap. 60 inch bed (81.6 inches with the tailgate down. Telo is double cab with a mid-gate (also has a 5ft bed).

 

[THil08]

Volkswagen boss declares the end of small gas cars, urging the future is electric

Volkswagen’s upcoming family of smaller, more affordable EVs will not be offered with a gas-powered engine. Volkswagen brand boss Thomas...

electrek.co

I hope this works out for VW.