The Bezos-backed $25,000 EV that should worry Detroit and probably Musk

Slate Auto, the electric vehicle start-up backed by Jeff Bezos, is a grand experiment in whether austerity sells — and a warning for the U.S. auto sector. Slate recently unveiled its flagship: A barebones, two-seater, battery-powered pickup starting at just under $25,000. It is a gray riposte — complete with hand-crank windows — to the spiraling cost of new vehicles, now more than $51,000 on average. Buyers can customize this blank Slate with myriad options. Using the online builder, I quickly put together a truck with a delightfully retro “Sun Seeker” wrap along with upgraded lights and wheels, audio speakers and an EV charger, among other things, for an extra $7,000 or so. That figure also happens to be roughly how much people pay, on average, above the base price for the 10 best-selling SUV and sedan models in the U.S., according to Cox Automotive. Americans apparently clamoring for cheaper vehicles are also paying over the odds for upgrades. This seeming paradox doesn’t end there and understanding it is essential to judging where the U.S. auto market is headed. With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.