• Jimmycakes@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    121
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    Everyone is broke as fuck we are open to cheap everything. People are living in literal sheds

      • billgamesh@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        7 months ago

        it’s like you’ve never heard of roommates. If you get a third job and find a couple people, i’m sure you could afford to rent a shed

    • htrayl@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      No, most of us are broke because we insist on ensuring that suburban mcmansions are the only places to really live. When you spend 30% on driving and 40% on housing, suddenly you are broke.

      • Blisterexe@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        7 months ago

        Yeah that’s what I don’t get, people complain housing is unnafordable now, but their expectation for a house is way higher than previous generations, and squander their money on “necessities” that really aren’t that. Yes, the housing market IS fucked, but by less than people make it seem like

    • mriguy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      58
      ·
      7 months ago

      “We hear you, American consumer! You say you want a sub-$40k, small, basic EV. So here’s another luxury SUV/pickup truck/yacht crossover starting at $90,000.”

    • KnitWit@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      ·
      7 months ago

      They’ll just ban them from being imported. Far cheaper to pay off some politicians than it is to compete or whatever. Kinda like the tariffs on the solar panels ‘flooding the market’ they just announced.

    • bastonia@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      Nooooo, you have to buy local, get our new Chevro-laid Mountain Dew 16x16 for only 250k (Tips not included)

    • workerONE@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      21
      ·
      7 months ago

      It’s difficult to compete with Chinese companies that operate at a loss and are subsidized by the Chinese government.

  • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    78
    ·
    7 months ago

    Don’t cram touchscreens and smart features into every fucking aspect of your car. Keep your costs low, keep prices low, and believe it or not, you’ll tap into the “bottom” 60% of the market that has been forced to buy used for the last 10 years. I don’t want a base trim 10 year old Honda Accord with 150k miles, but it’s all I can find for under $20k.

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      26
      arrow-down
      7
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      I keep getting shit on for wanting an EV with manual roll-up windows where you have to use your hands, a super basic FM stereo kit, and a dash clock being the most advanced shit inside. I don’t need rear-view cameras and sensors and other shit that complicates and increases repair and insurance costs. I don’t get it. Give me dead simple, please and thank you.

      • ltxrtquq@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        43
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        Back up cameras are mandatory in the US, and apparently Automatic Emergency Braking will be mandatory starting in 2029, so you’ll be stuck with some sensors whether you like it or not.

        But otherwise I agree that buttons and dials are better for controlling AC and radio than a touchscreen ever will be.

        • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          7 months ago

          Backup cameras are useless for many people. I can either wear glasses so that I can see where I’m driving, or I can take them off to see the fisheyed backup screen. Not both.

          • SqueakyBeaver@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            7 months ago

            Backup cameras are pretty good imo because they let you see the small things you wouldn’t be able to see out of a mirror. Helps prevent needless accidents. If you don’t wanna use it, just don’t look at it. Most cars should still have rear view mirrors

          • desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            7 months ago

            the backup camera is useful when the rear window is obstructed (such as from mud/dust) and for comically large vehicles where a short pole wouldn’t be visible if it was less than 3ft behind it.

          • TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            4
            ·
            7 months ago

            Good thing glasses are permanently superglued to your face and thus it’s impossible to swap between having them on and off when swapping between going backwards and forwards…

            • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              7 months ago

              Except for those of us who, you know, like to see where we’re going rather than relying on a limited FOV camera. Of course, if I could learn to remove and replace them while keeping both hands engaged in actually, you know, steering the damn car, that’d be great.

              • TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zip
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                7 months ago

                I better have both hands on the wheel for all those times I’m mid turn and shift while still moving into reverse……

                It’s… for when you’re backing up. You’ve come to a complete stop. You’re going to stop before you start moving forward again. It’s not hard to tilt glasses onto the top of your head while you stop or flip them back down when you stop.

                A MUCH bigger issue would be the rear view mirrors which are just cameras and screens.

                Are you mixing the two up?

    • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      7 months ago

      Touch screens in cars are a massive safety issue. I’m not saying they don’t have some benefits but the fact that many newer cars have basically no physical buttons to perform basic functions is a problem. I can feel for the dial to adjust the volume or change the radio station. But a touch screen encourages the driver to take their focus off the road. That’s a serious problem.

    • Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      Wut? I bought a brand new car for €11k three years ago. Right enough the same car is 15k now but still

    • cosmic_cowboy@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      52
      ·
      7 months ago

      The massive size of vehicles in the U.S. is ridiculous. I think a lot of people would buy smaller, cheaper cars if they were on the market.

      • antler@feddit.rocks
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        The EPA makes really tight emissions targets for vehicles under a certain size or the auto makers have to pay a fee iirc. Pretty sure they the medium sized stuff out of existance, an unfortunately I’m guessing the same fees would apply to imports too.

      • toastal@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        7 months ago

        I think folks bought into SUVs since they were bigger & selfishly less likely to take more damage in a crash. As such, with SUV tanks everywhere, being a pedestrian or in a small car on the road on in an SUV’s trajectory can often lead to lethal injury.

    • lemmus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      7 months ago

      Absolutely. So many sensible sized European cars aren’t sold in the US because bullshit market research says small car bad big truck good.

      • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        7 months ago

        But the European market is also pushing bigger cars and SUV.

        The smart is now a 4 meters SUV

        The Volkswagen up (small 4 person car) is out of production and they’re selling nothing under 4 meters

        The fiat panda (another small 4 person car) is in the process of being redesigned and the mockups look like a huge range rover SUV

        Skoda, after retiring the citigo, has the Fabia that’s relatively small (almost 4 meters) and the rest are huge

        Most automakers are giving up on the cheap and small compact car segment, leaving a big gap for Chinese automakers

        • maynarkh@feddit.nl
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          7 months ago

          The smart is now a 4 meters SUV

          Is it? I haven’t heard about it, I’ve seen some weird concept picture, but the Fortwo as currently being manufactured is still the same 2.6m long car as it was in 2014 as per Wikipedia.

          The Volkswagen up (small 4 person car) is out of production and they’re selling nothing under 4 meters Skoda, after retiring the citigo, has the Fabia that’s relatively small (almost 4 meters) and the rest are huge

          They are the same company. The Skoda Citigo and the Seat Mii are both just rebadged Volkswagen Up cars.

          The fiat panda (another small 4 person car) is in the process of being redesigned and the mockups look like a huge range rover SUV

          Those mockups are actually the redesign of the Panda Cross, which was an SUV-ish thing they introduced in 2014. Fiat still makes the subcompact 500, having recently made an electric version.

          Some EU automakers are doing weird stuff, but if you look at the electric car market for example, at lest where I live, locally produced electric kei trucks actually outsold Tesla at some point.

          • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            7 months ago

            The smart fortwo has been discontinued a few months ago, replaced by the 2 ton smart #1

            The fiat panda cross was just a fancy trim of the fiat panda, same size and weight just bigger bumpers and higher wheels

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        Nope, it’s the government’s mileage standards. If you make a truck with a shorter wheelbase and track, it has to hit higher gas mileage standards. Easier to make a big truck that’s allowed worse mileage.

        https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM

        Also, I did a brief stint selling cars in the 90s. One of the salesmen explained it like this, "What’s the real difference in a big truck and a small truck? Same engineering effort, same production work, all that. Hell, same parts for most systems.

        More steel on the big one, and steel is cheap. We can charge a premium for the larger truck."

  • The Uncanny Observer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    cake
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    49
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 months ago

    Well too fucking bad for the auto industry? Just because it’s an American industry doesn’t mean we should give a fuck about it. If they want our loyalty, make fucking better cars.

    • aeharding
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      33
      ·
      7 months ago

      If they want our loyalty, make fucking better cars

      I mean, in the spirit of the post, make fucking cheaper cars

      Cars have been getting expensive AF

      • Certainity45@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        7 months ago

        Cars has been so poorly made dor 1 or 2 decades now, that I respect most people who drives late 90’s to early 00’s cars.

        Electric cars are a joke in terms of quality. How they don’t have self-dignity at all?

    • ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      Oh the thing is we should totally care!

      Not for the “losses of expected revenue” of car industry shareholders, I don’t care about that.
      But for years already I hate that china, you know, the most hardcore surveillance state, is pumping Europe with their computerized automatic surveillance machines!
      At least they are not operating as automatized killing machines. Yet.

      And before anyone says. I feel the same about other, noon-chinese cars too that are filled with all kinds of external sensors. I hate Teslas with a passion, but in my opinion chinese cars are even worse, just as chinese, state sponsored apps on our phones.

  • huquad@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    48
    ·
    7 months ago

    Auto industry looking at their overly inflated prices, “well well well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions.”

  • VodkaSolution @feddit.it
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    7 months ago

    80s: You wouldn’t buy a Japanese car!
    90s: you wouldn’t buy a Korean car!
    00s: you wouldn’t buy a small Italian car!

    • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      7 months ago

      Toyota Hilux: the middle-east terrorist’s truck of choice.

      But seriously, those things are everywhere in the Middle East and Africa.

      • maynarkh@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        7 months ago

        I guess you need a cheap, reliable, relatively high performance truck with good off-road capabilities with a large bed to mount weaponry on.

        What else would they use?

      • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        The world doesn’t need an EV Mustang or $99K F150, it needs an EV Focus or Escort oor Fiesta level car that normal people can afford.

        • Midnitte@beehaw.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          7 months ago

          Which we won’t get with Ford deciding instead to focus on hybrids.

          Instead, the Blue Oval wants to focus on making more hybrids instead and says it will have hybrid options for all its internal combustion engine-powered vehicles by 2030.

          Also, apparently, people quite like the EV Mustang.

          But with Mustang Mach-E sales up 77 percent to 9,589 sold, and a 148 percent growth for the E-Transit, Ford is the country’s second-bestselling EV brand.

    • thejml@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      Does that account for the fact that most US Tacoma’s are built in San Antonio (there’s also a plant in Tijuana) and the Tundra is also built at the San Antonio plant?

      The tundra, F-150 and Honda Ridge line are all tied at 75% domestic US parts production. The Tacoma’s is a bit lower at 70%.

  • Les Orchard (at SDF)@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    ·
    7 months ago

    Yeah, I’m a weirdo with a cargo e-bike. Love it, except when it rains or snows.

    I’d love a sub-$20k street legal EV that skips the entertainment system and most other features. Just give me a weatherproof cabin with comfortable seats and a modest cargo capacity for groceries and small appliances. I’m only ever going to drive it for at most an hour around town and back. Maybe listen to a podcast from my phone. Stick solar panels on the roof and it’ll probably always be topped off for how infrequently I drive. I’ll rent something if I take a longer trip.

  • whotookkarl@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    7 months ago

    Not scary for the auto workers who want to work on them, build them, supply parts for them, etc or the families who want affordable EVs. More scary for the wealth class who didn’t reinvest enough into updating their facilities and processes to stay competitive businesses. The government already gave them extra time with the embargo but that isn’t going to last forever.

  • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    If it pass safety standards without all those smart and data collection bs and being reliable for 7+ years with easy part sourcing I might give it a try.

        • CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          7 months ago

          Oh I was making a joke, like you posted an ‘or’ comment & I replied Yes like it will do both. 😂 Good bike, blows your balls off.

          I’ve been looking at Super73 for years as a CLASSIC styling, really handsome ebike. YouTube search for things like Survival ebike, ebike for preppers. Because you’ll tap into a whole community of people that want good & tough ebikes, not flimsy crap, ebikes that should be good relatively long-term. I trust Canadian Prepper; this video is a little older but information & considerations tend to be relevant years later.

          I saw another prepper cheaping it with $700-800 ebikes, if I find it I’ll post name & link…

          Anyway jokes aside I hope that helps. Idk your situation but I’d almost be tempted to wait just a few more years; pandemic/oil prices have pushed so many ebikes into the wild & that has brought about soooooo much real-world testing & consumer feedback. I’m thinking the ebikes just a few years from now will be so much better, and possibly for cheaper or the same price.

          • delirious_owl@discuss.online
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            7 months ago

            In my experience preppers buy things that sit in their storage space unused. I want something I can use hard (as a cargo bike) several times per day, every day, for decades.

            • CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              7 months ago

              This is a valid criticism that we talk about…working through supply, using supply, and becoming familiar with it is actually the ideal we should all strive for. 🙂 Idk about any bike, electric or not, that can withstand hard use several times/day for decades. (o_O) But product design is getting better all the time!

              • delirious_owl@discuss.online
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                7 months ago

                Oh, I definitely know bikes that can survive hard use for decades. Of course you have to change wearing parts every X thousand km, but the bike should last generations.

                What I’m unsure about is the e-bikes. I really don’t want the battery to catch fire or explode. And the motor should last generations.

              • delirious_owl@discuss.online
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                7 months ago

                Some of the best bikes that last decades were built in the 1970s. There are some machines that don’t get more durable when you throw more R&D at it.

                Breakthroughs in product design for nonelectric bikes have been mostly optimizing weight, but very minor improvements that don’t apply steel cargo bikes built to last generations.

    • Wahots@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      Even some domestic brands like Juiced go on sale for like, $1,200 for a Juiced Ripracer. Aventon appears to make good stuff too, if you want bike shop support. I’ve had my bike for a month and put 320 miles on it. Fun little bike :)

  • Zerush@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    Even Xiaomi has released the SU7, a real Tesla killer and also way cheaper. But not for the US market, but for the EU.