The average new vehicle sold in the United States in May went for $49,220, with the typical small and midsized pickup going for $43,044, and the average new electric vehicle going for $54,532. Slate Auto, an American automobile manufacturer backed by Jeff Bezos, sees a niche that is not being served: people who don’t want to pay 50 grand for any of those things. The company announced it will launch its new electric truck at the price point of $24,950, fulfilling a promise to launch a vehicle squarely in the mid-$20,000 range. Be warned, the baseline Slate is going to be rather blank, with no touchscreen, speakers or automatic windows, and it will have no autonomous setting, though there will be plenty of à la carte customizations. It’s an interesting bet, one that is less on electric trucks in particular but rather that the American vehicle owner has a much lower appetite for added bells and whistles than the auto industry currently believes.
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