Slate is betting Americans want less car for less money
The internet is obsessed with tiny trucks and analog interiors. Can Slate turn that interest into a business? Slate Slate's pitch: US drivers haven't had affordable, analog EV options. Its no-frills truck is $24,950. The average new car in the US costs more than $50,000. But sales are still increasing. Giant car companies once teased their cheaper EV options — but few have made it to market. Tiny, old trucks are having a moment online. Scroll for long enough, and you'll find drivers fantasizing about a simpler time: when truck interiors had fewer screens and didn't attempt to cosplay as a luxury condo. That nostalgia has created some surprising internet stars. Kei trucks — the tiny, slow pickups from Japan that shoppers can import into the US if they're more than 25 years old — have amassed cult followings through social media fan pages . The same goes for decades-old American subcompact trucks like the '90s-era Ford Rangers , Chevy S-10s, and Toyota Tacomas. ...
