I don’t agree with this article. 60k for this is way too much. Ev makers really need to work on pricing.
If it feels like many years since you first saw Volkswagen’s retro electric microbus, the ID. Buzz, you’re not wrong. It’s surprisingly aptly named; I can’t think of another car during the past decade that has aroused so much interest among people who don’t usually care about four-wheeled transport. Nearly eight years after the concept made its debut, the Buzz is on sale in Europe and has been for a year. Now it’s time for America to get its turn, with deliveries starting later this year.
We drove the Euro-spec Buzz almost two years ago, but it’s fair to say the version that’s coming to the US is a better proposition. The Buzz we drove had a shorter wheelbase, a smaller-capacity battery, and seats only for five, and if you sat in the back, there was no ventilation, and the windows couldn’t be opened.
The US market will only receive the longer-wheelbase Buzz, which adds about 10 inches (250 mm) between the axles. This adds room for a third row of seats, making it a proper seven-seater. It should be a bit more humane sitting in the back, as there are air vents—we’re waiting to drive it to find out if any windows open back there.
The three-row Buzz also carries a bigger (91 kWh) battery pack, but there’s no getting around that retro shape’s big bluff frontal area, and the EPA range estimate for the rear-wheel drive Buzz is just 234 miles (377 km), a number we’re sure will disappoint many who’ve been patiently waiting for the electric minibus. All-wheel drive drops the range by 3 miles (5 km).
Historically, auto companies have had two paths to success.
1 - Build dirt cheap, crappy cars and sell zillions of them, and slowly make them better as the initial crappy reputation evolves into a good car for a good price. (i.e. - Toyota)
2 - Build super expensive luxury cars and slowly make them cheaper so people view your brand as high end even though the cheaper ones aren’t as good as the old expensive luxury ones. (i.e. - BMW)
Seems like all the EV makers are looking at option 2 and there’s tons of room in the market for option 1.
Option 1 is done by China and the US/EU are blocking them.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted, pretty sure that’s just factual.
Because it’s not really true. Those Chinese EVs cost what they do through slave labor and $213 billion in subsidization.
The same people complaining that other carmakers can’t match China’s pricing would be just as mad if say GM did what BYD is doing to have that pricing. First step is kiss the UAW goodbye. Second step is have Congress give GM $30 billion to make EVs. We’d all be rightfully pissed off at that.