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Comment by SoftTalker | Hacker News Reader

Saw that. It's a plaything for the wealthy, not anything like the small spartan EV that we really need.

It very much looks like it's designed to be your second/third/tenth car. Not as impractical as a daily driver as most sports cars, but you won't use it for a trip to Ikea either

In terms of not-yet-shipping not-online vehicles, we already have the Slate. So this looks to be a good compliment, for a moderately-wealthy two car household.

I'm disappointed with the Slate. Knowing it's backed by Bezos ruins it for me.

I know that's just me, but still, it bothers me and I'll likely cancel my pre-order.

Isn't he a fairly minor shareholder?

Be happy he invested in something potentially good. I don’t think investment implies involvement, although that remains to be seen.

I don't trust him, I don't think he's a good person, and I can't separate the money from the man behind it.

There's a stink around everything he touches that is repugnant to me.

Keep in mind a Tesla Model 3 costs €45-60k in the Netherlands, it's one of the most expensive countries for buying private vehicles.

If you built the same car in China it would cost €15k or less. Eventually with enough volume they could probably cut the price in half, producing in one of the cheaper eastern european countries which already have strong manufacturing hubs.

For something of the value proposition of an Mazda MX5 with Nissan Figaro styling, I mean it's not terribly far off the mark. If you want the average Top Gear readers budget choice, the Renault 5 with 255 miles of WLTP range is about €32-34k as an 'everyman' Supermini without serious compromises in any particular area.

Short of getting some sub-BYD CDM manufacturer to compete directly, there's not much scope out there to cut much further than that for an acceptable 2+2 QOL car in 2025. Mainly I can see the likes of Dacia cutting corners in the interior to crew-cab standard and releasing a low-tide mark EV like their proposed 'Hipster'.

Dacia has stated that the target price for the entry-level Hipster is planned at around €12-15k - undercutting Dacia's most affordable electric model, the Spring, with an entry RRP of around €18,000 euros.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/10/dacia-hipster-previews-dir...

Small Spartan cars are for people who drive cars, not for people who buy cars.

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