(EXPANDED FROM 4/25/2025)
With average new-car prices exceeding $50,000 and tariffs threatening to push them higher, now would seem to be an ideal time for the return of the simple car. A particularly intriguing example is a forthcoming compact truck by Slate Auto. This new venture has focused on making what amounts to a modern Beetle of electric vehicles.
Slate CEO Christine Barman (2025) summed up the rationale for the Troy, Michigan-based automaker: “The definition of what’s affordable is broken,” she said in a press release. “Slate exists to put the power back in the hands of customers who have been ignored by the auto industry.” Barman intends to do that by “simplifying the manufacturing process and removing unnecessary content to reduce cost and increase reliability.”
The auto industry “has been so focused on autonomy and technology in the vehicle, it’s driven prices to a place that most Americans simply can’t afford,” Slate chief commercial officer Jeremy Snyder said during a recent press event. “But we’re here to change that” (O’Kane, 2025).
That press event received widespread coverage in the American media, with headlines often noting that Jeff Bezos is an investor.
Radical simplicity of historic proportions
Has there ever been another postwar U.S. automaker that has focused so intently on simplifying the manufacturing process? Slate Auto is eschewing standard industry practices such as offering a broad lineup of models, lots of gizmos, gargantuan size and fancy styling.
For example, only one two-door body style will be produced. It is called simply the Slate Truck (no fancy nameplate like Silverado or Tundra). However, buyers can customize their truck in a variety of ways, such as by adding an SUV-style cab that offers five-passenger seating.
By the same token, Slate is unusually compact for a modern truck: 174.6 inches in length, 108.9-inch wheelbase, 70.6 inches in width and 69.3 inches in height.
A variety of safety features will be offered such as active emergency braking. However, the base interior looks rather spartan, the windows role down manually and there is no sound system — although the dashboard is designed to allow you to plug in your smart phone.
In addition, much like the Model T only came in the color black, the Slate Truck will sport an unpainted gray composite body — there is no factory paint shop (Fink, 2025). That said, you can dress up your truck with a variety of wraps.
Slate better reflects spirit of Scout than VW’s revival
The Slate Truck looks like a modern version of a 1970s International Scout. However, Slate is much closer to the original Scout’s footprint than Volkswagen’s forthcoming revival of that nameplate, which has bloated out to “full size.”
Exterior styling isn’t as crude as the ill-fated Bollinger B2, with its flat windshield glass and lack of complex sheetmetal curves. Even so, the Slate Truck is unusually boxy, business-like and unpretentious. Don’t look here for the overamped aggressiveness that pervades today’s truck and SUV market.
Slate Auto displays frugality in setting up its operations
Despite funding from Bezos, Slate Auto has adopted a minimalist approach in its development. For example, the corporate headquarters is in a nondescript building in Troy, Michigan partially equipped with second-hand furniture. Meanwhile, the assembly plant in Warsaw, Indiana is a 1.5 million-square-foot former warehouse. Production tooling is designed to make up to 140,000 trucks per year, which John McElroy (2025) noted is 100,000 less than most truck plants.
Great effort has been made to simply the truck’s design in order to reduce manufacturing costs. For example, the number of parts needed to make the instrument panel was reduced from an initial 27 to seven parts. The entire truck is comprised of 500 parts that need to be shipped to the assembly plant compared to 2,500 parts for a typical truck, according to McElroy (2025).
Also see ‘Which EV startups will succeed in crossing the Valley of Death?’
In addition, Slate has built 72 prototypes of the truck in exactly the same sequence that will be used in mass production. “The idea was to catch any problems very early in the program,” McElroy noted (2025). Might this avoid the “production hell” that Tesla experienced when it introduced its first mass-market car, the Model 3 — and Elon Musk reportedly slept on the factory floor (Lambert, 2018)?
Whatever else one might say about Slate Auto’s chances of success, it thus far reflects the opposite of lavishly spending startups dating back to Kaiser-Frazer (Langworth, 1975). McElroy (2025) quite rightly suggested that the company’s minimalist approach “is worthy of a business case study.”
Is there a big enough market for the Slate Truck?
All this economizing is intended to make the Slate Truck the lowest priced EV sold in the U.S. The automaker’s website estimates that with federal tax credits one could get a base model for around $20,000. We will see if Slate Auto meets that price target once deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 (Golson, 2025a).
Daniel Golson (2025b) of Jalopnik noted that Slate’s online customizer has “at least 9 trillion different combinations,” so it took a while to build his own configuration. Golson (2025a) added, “I have a feeling there will be a lot of sticker shock when accessories get piled on, especially when you’ll need to add a lot to get the Slate feeling like it’s a car from 2026 with features competitive to a Nissan Versa.”
Meanwhile, Greg S. Fink (2025) of Car and Driver wondered whether the Slate Truck was “just a little too expensive for what it offers.” He added that “Slate’s barren standard equipment list will likely make it a hard sell for someone more interested in an EV than a pickup. Those in search of a compact pickup, meanwhile, may find more to like in the slightly pricier five-passenger Ford Maverick.”
McElroy (2025) wondered if Slate would be price-competitive with the Maverick if federal EV tax credits go away. He also questioned whether 140,000 units per year was too ambitious when Ford only sold 130,000 Mavericks in 2024. Even so, he concluded that “in my book Slate is doing everything right.” That may not be enough to succeed, but Slate’s unorthodox approach is promising enough to be worth testing out. And if the U.S. slips into recession, a back-to-basic truck could plausibly carve out niche akin to the original VW Beetle.
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RE:SOURCES
- Barman, Christine; 2025. “Radically Customizable and Affordable, Beautifully Simplified: The Slate Truck Redefines Personalized Transportation.” Press release posted April 24.
- Fink, Greg S.; 2025. “2027 Slate Truck EV Will Be Very Customizable, Priced Under $28,000.” Car and Driver. Posted April 24.
- Golson, Daniel; “Slate Auto Unveils Refreshingly Simple And Small Two-Seat Electric Truck Designed To Be Customized, Starting Under $27,500.” Jalopnik. Posted April 25.
- ——-; 2025b. “How We’d Spec It: Slate Auto’s Modular Electric Truck.” Jalopnik. Posted April 25.
- Lambert, Fred; 2018. “Elon Musk says he is back to sleeping on Tesla factory floor to oversee Model 3 production, denies report on Doug Field.” Electrek. Posted April 3.
- Langworth, Richard M.; 1975. Kaiser-Frazer: The Last Onslaught on Detroit. Princeton Publishing, Princeton, NJ.
- McElroy, John; 2025. “Everything You Want To Know About That Slate EV Pickup.” Autoline. Posted April 25.
- O’Kane, Sean; 2025. “Bezos-backed Slate Auto debuts analog EV pickup truck that is decidedly anti-Tesla.” TechCrunch. Posted April 24.
Greatest asset/liability.
#1 it’s electric
#2 it’s electric
#3 cargo bed is too small . I’m pretty sure electric vehicles aren’t mainstream practical.
At this point there are so many unknowns that it’s hard to do more than wildly speculate. That said, Slate’s strategy so far suggests that the automaker could potentially generate a profit with fairly modest production by U.S. auto-industry standards. If this proves to be correct, all they need to do is carve out a reasonably steady niche — and they may not need to be considered “mainstream” to do so. Indeed, sometimes being viewed as outside the mainstream can contribute to a brand’s cachet, as we saw with the early VW Beetle.
I would also suggest that there isn’t just one use case for a compact-sized truck. For example, my potential interest would be for the SUV cab, which I would primarily use for camping rather than hauling large cargo around.
What of EVs? If the Republicans kill the tax credits, that will obviously undercut sales in the U.S. However, if Slate can come close to meeting its price targets, it may be less impacted that higher-priced EV entries. In addition, as the technology advances, battery costs should come down and charging-range increase, so what is considered impractical today by some folks may look different in a few years.
At any rate, EVs do have some practical advantages over ICE vehicles, such as fewer moving parts to maintain and fix. Again, it all depends on one’s specific needs. What may not work for you could work great for me.
Dollar for dollar, I would prefer a second-generation Ford Maverick with a proven powertrain and an established dealer network. The Slate is as yet a totally unproven vehicle. Yes, Ford has had vehicle recall issues as had many other auto makers, but a new manufacturer, even one offering a basic simple car / truck is fraught with potential likely difficulties. My second choice is a VW Scout. EVs aren’t for me until a charging network is as verdant as gasoline stations. Hybrids are an answer, too.
It’s too bad that the Maverick is so big; the idea that this is Ford’s lowest-priced vehicle in the U.S. underlines how it has abandoned the bottom end of the market. So whatever else Slate accomplishes, I hope that it helps to spur more automakers into producing lower-priced and smaller trucks.
When I bought a car recently I went with a hybrid. By the time I buy my next car I suspect that I will get an EV. Charging networks have been growing nicely out here in my neck of the woods (the Pacific Northwest).
How is it going to be produced in the numbers to bring it in at the price? In China they are looking at 2M being the baseline for a competitive EV manufacturer. Not reading much about how it will cut production costs. But it’s a great piece of lateral thinking. Good article here on the engineering.https://www.theautopian.com/heres-the-engineering-behind-jeff-bezos-20k-slate-ev/
That’s an interesting Autopian story; thank you for linking to it. I haven’t seen details about the plant in Indiana where the truck will be produced; of course, the devil is inevitably in the details. This startup could go sideways for any number of reasons, including problems with scale.
However, so far it sounds like Slate is taking the minimalist approach of a classic independent automaker, where they try to achieve profitability at one plant. Given their streamlined manufacturing approach, at least in theory I would think it could be possible to make money with adequate volume. What is their break-even point — 100,000 units? From what I have read so far, Slate hasn’t made those kind of announcements.
My interest in Slate doesn’t come from the assumption that they will be successful, but rather than they are testing out a really interesting set of ideas.
Nice. I think I’ll trade in my Lordstown for one and park it next to my Canoo. Wake me up when they’re in the showrooms.
I meant to add that simple plain vehicles like this test well, but but people eschew them for something with a big inforainment screen and 8 way power seats. Say what you want about Musk, you know Tesla will be around for a while and you can probably pick up a low mileage Cybertruck for less than this electrified ’98 Blazer.
U.S. automotive startups have such a high mortality rate that a cynical take will almost always end up being right. I’m drawing attention to Slate because it is quite unusual in challenging Detroit’s current groupthink about customers always wanting fancy equipment such as power seats and infotainment screens. Given the increasing shakiness of the economy I wonder whether there is an opening for a modern equivalent of a 1958 Rambler American. Maybe there isn’t, but I think it’s an interesting test case.
Well Steve, that’s where the money is, lots and lots of money. I’m sure it could be done. It’s just that I’m not sure a startup could survive on the production. There is an Egyptian Jeep along the lines of the old Scrambler that gives me ideas for Ma Stell. Take the promised Ram midsized pickup, and use plain exterior sheetmetal along Jeep lines for the cabin. Use the Rent-A-Truck interior but be sure to call it a Ram even if it looks Jeeplike. This is not a Gladiator lifestyle vehicle. This is a work it into the ground vehicle. Keep It Simple everywhere. Keep It Sturdy everywhere. Now it may not beat Slate on MSRP. However Slate’s estimated price is within sight of the Maverick. So, I think the price won’t be far off. Now push low maintenance and insurance costs over 10-15 years of ownership. We’ll be here, and we have dealerships all over the place, and we’ll be here in 2040 when you trade it in. Can you say the same for Joe’s Slate Shop and Bait store? Such a vehicle could survive on 40-50 k sales per year. In fact it could be considered a halo vehicle of sorts.
I agree that Stellantis is well positioned to cater to the simple-truck market, but look at what they’ve done in recent years with Jeep — lots of price gouging and extending the brand beyond where it should arguably go. How is this appreciably different than the late-50s, when the Big Three had to be forced by the independents and imports to offer smaller, simpler cars?
My basic argument is that having a healthy diversity of competition in the U.S. auto industry is the key to keeping the big boys honest. But even though in recent years there has been a fair number of automakers in the American market, the diversity of their product lines have been in many respects much narrower than in, say, the 1970s. For example, the idea that the Maverick is Ford’s smallest and lowest-priced vehicle shows how far out of hand things have gotten. This is why an upstart like Slate has even a small hope of success.
If Trump’s trade wars do result in a recession, I suspect that we may see the market for all of those wonderfully equipped but expensive mansions of glory to shrink. How far might the pendulum swing back to smaller, cheaper and simpler? That could depend partly on how long Trump waits to “declare victory” and pulls back his most onerous tariffs.
Like others, I have a lot of cynicism regarding the survival of the Slate truck. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of it, but I don’t know what the delta is between the folks who say they would buy a hairshirt BEV pickup and the folks who will actually buy the hairshirt BEV pickup. I have a feeling it will be a very large delta between the two.
I had a similar exchange with one of my kids this weekend regarding the Slate. She owns an 11 year old, 200,000+ mile Chevy Cruze, and she is deciding what her next step will be. Intrigued by the price, but not really aware of what it’s like to drive a vehicle without an installed radio and roll down windows, this is on her list. My take on all of this are two things: Does the Slate generate enough sales to achieve critical mass? My concern is that by the time you do add on a few amenities, this thing will cost within a couple grand of a Nissan Rocks, Kia Venue or Chevy Trax. If so, why not go with vehicles that have an established dealer network, ones that can provide financing and service for these vehicles?
So, what really is the unique selling proposition for this vehicle? Low price? Battery power source? Infinitely customizable? All of those? None of those? Like I said, I’m intrigued by these, but I’m not ready to give up $20K++ on a completely unknown entity.
George, I’m wondering who you are arguing against? I didn’t insist that Slate had an exceptional chance of survival. Nor did I argue that you should buy one.
I did suggest that the U.S. auto industry is facing a genuine affordability crisis that a potential recession could make worse. History suggests that when the market has dramatically shifted that upstart automakers have tended to surprise industry leaders about what the public would accept. Might that happen with the Slate Truck? I don’t know, but I’m curious to see what happens.
The problem with the tariff wars is that Trump is so mecurial that the tariff he declared today could be doubled or rescinded tomorrow. You simply cannot make plans to bring back oven mitt production back to the US much less motor vehicles. I read the article and the Slate seems more complicated than it looks. It takes a lot of radio delete options and crank windows to even out the cost of proximity sensors and eight airbags. Granted, a lot of this stuff is Federally mandated. Aren’t backup cameras becoming mandated? So, you have to put in a screen. If you put in a screen, you might as well put in a radio. It might be cheaper to buy something like that off the shelf than have something specially built.