Some auto analysts have recently stated that the Slate Truck could plausibly have a shot at carving out a decent market. For example, Automotive News reporter Laurence Iliff (2025) quoted AutoPacific analyst Robby DeGraff as saying that the “market for such a bare-bones vehicle is very small, but I think it’s big enough” — particularly when adding fleet sales.
“Even though you might not have a massive crowd of consumers buying this beyond nitty-gritty enthusiasts, if they can keep that price attractive and ensure it’s reliable, that seems on paper like a perfect vehicle for commercial uses,” DeGraff told Iliff (2025).
However, another AutoPacific analyst, Ed Kim, said in a LinkedIn post quoted by Automotive News that the absence of a four-door wagon “cuts out like 95 percent of the new vehicle market off the bat.” Kim hoped that Slate would add the extra body style in the future (Iliff, 2025).
This illustrates the conundrum faced by an automaker that strives to minimize production costs with a narrow lineup. Can Slate Auto achieve sufficient scale with just a two-door model or does it end up needing to quickly add a four-door?
DeLorenzo questions Slate’s start of production
Meanwhile, Peter DeLorenzo (2025) tipped his hat to Slate Auto’s attempt to offer a more affordable vehicle. He applauded the back-to-basics concept and argued that “if the other manufacturers aren’t working on creating direct competitors for it, they should be prosecuted for a gross dereliction of duty.”
This is an important point. A positive side of the U.S. auto industry’s tendency to be faddish is that the press Slate is getting could spark one or more legacy automakers to come out with “back-to-basics” cars and trucks. They may not be as radical as the Slate Truck but could reverse a recent trend of making vehicles ever-bigger, fancier and more expensive. After all, the affordability crisis is very real.
Also see ‘Will the Slate Truck be the closest thing you can get to a modern simple car?’
However, DeLorenzo (2025) went on to caution against the “instant canonization going on in the Internet by FanBoys masquerading as instant pundits.”
I would agree that it is important to exercise one’s media literacy skills in sifting through coverage about Slate. That said, the fledgling automaker appears to have done a good job of making a splash with its recent truck reveal event. They partly did so by inviting influencers from outside of the automotive media such as Michael Soledad (2025), who produced the following video about the event.
DeLorenzo predicted that instead of starting production by the end of 2026, Slate might not “appear in the flesh” until “sometimes in 2029” — and that’s “if absolutely everything comes together exactly right.”
Managing expectations is a good idea. If Tesla has taught us anything, it is to not take to the bank promises about when new products will reach production. However, thus far Slate Auto’s management has come off as more nuts-and-bolts oriented than Elon Musk.
Is Sandy Munro right that Slate can move quickly?
Auto manufacturing expert Sandy Munro stated that he has known key people involved in Slate since its beginning “two-and-a-bit years” ago. In that time they have developed a truck with a five-star crash rating, have “figured out how much everything is going to cost, where they are going to build it in Indiana, all these things done . . . amazing how fast we can move in the United States” (Farzad, 2025).
Perhaps Munro’s optimistic take on the speed of Slate’s launch is colored by his closeness to its management, but he gives credence to their technical chops.
DeLorenzo’s caution is appropriate, but it would also make sense that Slate management would try to avoid the bad p.r. that Tesla has gained by announcing production dates that prove to be woefully unrealistic. This is why, at least at this point, I would give Slate the benefit of the doubt on the accuracy of its launch date.
The title to DeLorenzo’s (2025) article about the Slate Truck has a negative coloring, but it sums up the situation: “A giant ‘We’ll see.'”
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- DeLorenzo, Peter M.; 2025. “A giant ‘We’ll see.'” Auto Extremist. Posted April 27.
- Farzad; 2025. “Slate Is A Really Big Deal ($20k EV).” Posted April 28.
- Iliff, Laurence; 2025. “Slate targets Big Auto with small pickup. But do Americans want a DIY EV?” Automotive News. Posted May 1.
- Soledad, Michael; 2025. “Up Close with the SLATE EV Pickup Truck.” Posted April 29.
I am not so sure that the kind of price sensitive buyer who wants a bare bones car would want to go about getting the car wrapped. Also, an electric truck is always going to have limited appeal- less suited to towing or longer trips.
Those of us who are a little older are nostalgic for smaller, lower pick up trucks.
I agree that the smaller, older pickups can have a lot of appeal to those of us who saw how practical they could be back in the day. A few years ago I saw a pristine mid-80s Toyota pickup for sale and I thought hard about buying it. I don’t need — or want — a truck anywhere as big as a Maverick.
Will an electric truck always have a limited appeal? The technology is advancing enough that five years from now we may be having very different conversations about such things as charging capacity. And not all of us need a truck for heavy-duty towing, e.g., my main use would be hauling stuff to the dump or going camping. I could also see how a bare-bones EV truck could be quite useful for a variety of uses as a fleet vehicle for local governments and small businesses.
This reminds me of the Tucker debacle. Too much was promised too soon. A more realistic production goal should have been for the 1950 model year. Kaiser promised an all new vehicle front drive, etc. Instead they produced a riff on Graham-Paige’s planned postwar car. Meanwhile, Henry Kaiser found out that this essentially assembled car was a money pit. Once Bezos decides to stop throwing good money after bad Slate will join the ranks of Detroit Electric, Canoo and Lordstown.
I disagree that this is similar to Tucker; one interesting aspect of Slate Auto is that its leadership largely comes from legacy automakers. These folks have a much higher level of manufacturing experience than Tucker’s crew. By the same token, Kaiser doesn’t strike me as a good comparison because it was quite lavish in the way it spent money. In addition, Henry Kaiser was fairly contemptuous toward people who came out of the auto industry — ultimately including Joe Frazer.
Will Slate make it? I don’t know — and I think it is way too early to be making definitive predictions. I also think that even if the automaker does not survive it may still help to push the industry to move back to offering more basic — and lower-cost — vehicles. Right now the legacy automakers remind me of the Big Three in 1957-58, when they doubled down on befinned monsters. Recall what happened then?
Great points Steve. I wasn’t aware of Kaiser’s disdain for legacy automotive people. Also fleet vehicles as you describe typically don’t make several hundred mile cross country jaunts. Honestly I don’t know much about the charging situation either commercially or technically. Also if the vehicle can make it through the work day without a recharge you may be able to charge it overnight without the expensive 15 minute recharge setups.