The problem you have is with expectations-If your used to driving say a Focus or Fiesta sized vehicle in the EU...going to something smaller like what the Ka was is going to be a non-starter.   The other issue is that EV are "expensive" to manufacture because they don't have the benefit of 80+ years of improvements that ICE engines have had. Its hard to make money on EVs when there isn't enough manufacturing capacity for cells for batteries, when an ICE engine can be built for say $1500 net price.    The Chinese can sell cheap because they are getting subsidized by the CCP  

That I agree with...it seems like they have next to nothing coming out in the next 36 months. 

I'm sure we'll see D) all of the above come.   I've said for a while now that I think leasing is the way to go for a BEV since the tech is changing so much.

I'd argue it never made sense because it realistically wasn't ever going to be 20k

Not to sound pretentious, but I think that's because as a design enthusiast I just see and notice things that a lot of people don't. It's kinda like how I can see the '65-66 influence in the front of the s650 with the shape of the grille, and headlights, or how I can see how the rear of the s650 with the sharply indented decklid is a call back to the '67s concaved rear end. But most people have no idea what I'm talking about.    There's just a lot about the attitude of that rendering, the long hood, flared fenders, fastback roofline, muscular haunch, that all tie into the 60s mustang design in a modern way. Mustangs from say '74 up until 2004 didn't really have that proper mustang look that was iconic, they kinda lost all the things that made mustangs look great. They didn't have particularly long hoods, they were pretty slab sided, their rooflines were more notchback and less fastback, more upright in shape. 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a65317250/slate-truck-price-change-ev-tax-credit/   This truck no longer makes sense with a price above $20k. Removing the ev credit means the cheapest, bare minimum model will probably be somewhere around 27,500-30,000. With the exception of fleet/businesses, I cannot see anyone buying it at that price when the maverick xl hybrid comes in around that price as well and looks like a luxury vehicle next to the slate. Will Slate survive? 

I suppose that's true.  Just feels like forever that we've heard about it now. I guess what's also creating the issue is that they cancelled or pushed back refreshes several long time products that makes the product lull seem worse.

Certainly it would be a lot cheaper and more effective for VW to replace ID.4 and Q4 with R2 based product. Especially if they are made in the US given the tariff on new cars will probably never go away even with a new administration. 

This is not surprising.   1. It is the cheapest Ford you can buy 2. It has no real competition 3. Ford doesn't have an alt-sedan to compete in-house for these same buyers 4. It is a very good idea and executed well... shocking competence from Ford all around

If enough people value personal mobility enough, they will force the auto industry to design and manufacture lower-cost vehicles.  What I don’t understand is why government officials keep repeating the industry’s claimed premise that electrification will preclude affordability, when the opposite should occur.  The industry obviously benefits from more expensive vehicles, which explains their position, but that won’t stop interest in cheaper vehicles and or transportation in general.  At far opposite extreme, electrification has allowed micro-mobility to become more practical than ever possible before when relying on tiny internal combustion engines.  The same technical arguments can be applied to very cheap EVs, particularly for city use.  Electrification makes downsizing easier, not harder.  IMO safety is major technical hurdle to overcome for those who want extreme affordability, but realistically safety is no worse than for the many riding E-bikes and E-scooters in traffic already.  Asian manufacturers have prototypes of mini electric vehicles already, so it comes down to demand given safety risks, not whether they can be built at lower costs.  Options should not be limited to micro cars because there is a middle ground.  Affordable cars like BYD Seagull may test just how small buyers are willing to accept if price is low enough.