So you think heroin, which frequently kills people the first time they try it, should be able to be sold without consequence? Certainly an interesting take.
It's interesting because the EV was made fun of relentlessly when it came out, with Ford fans saying that it would be a flop.
Also, I'm biased, but I have to disagree with the "impractical vanity car" part. The current Mustang coupe is super fun to drive and affordable - the trunk is huge and it is quite comfortable for two people (even 3). The coyote v8 is a marvel of engineering - 460 HP with instant torque, but you can get 29 MPG with it on the highway (if you drive calmly). The turbo 4 is even more efficient.
To get anything comparable from European or Japanese coupes, you have to pay twice as much.
I don't think that the torque and horsepower are relevant when you're talking about practicality. I think the Mustang is good value for what it is, IF you care about it's branding and that sort of thing is valued in your social circle. It is absolutely a vanity car and if you're buying a car based on performance there's no reason to get a Mustang, any second hand electric coupe will annihilate it on performance per dollar, and in a straight line. The only reason to get it is because of what it represents.
That all being said I don't get the Mustang. If I were buying a car to have fun there are so many that appeal to me more than it does. My ideal car has bugs on the side windows.
I don't think anyone buys a Mustang due to the brand...I mean it's a Ford.
Mustangs have a 4 second 0-60 and great handling (if you know what you're doing, they rival cars 3X the price on the famous tracks of the world).
Don't really get the comparison to a used EV - I guess you're right about straight line speed, but a used EV is pretty sketchy due to battery longevity and crappy reliability from the brands that can actually achieve this straight line speed.
For someone buying new, there isn't much left with comparable performance, considering the camaro no longer exists. Maybe the Nissan Z or the Supra, but those have had crazy dealer markups. If you know such a car in the 40-60k range, I'd love to know!
No apology needed. The current muscle/pony cars are amazing vehicles. Mustang and Camaro are both hugely reliable, modern, efficient cars wrapped up to look tough, and in their base models they are ridiculously good value.
Pretty much the only thing against them is, as you say, they are only practical for two people.
I would absolutely love a low tech electric car - like an Elantra hatchback EV. I hate how every EV has to be all touchscreen-based with fancy software that needs to be updated frrquently just to drive.
Those cars are illegal to make. Any new car needs complex electronics to satisfy legal requirements, adding in an infotainment system is a negligible cost.
Are there any simple vehicles left in the US, EV or otherwise? The lowest frills cars I can think of are the Mirage and Versa, both on their last legs. Similar to the vocal minorities who want compact hatchbacks, wagons, small trucks, or manual transmissions, it feels like so few people want simple, non-smartphoney cars that the market segment will never be catered to.
Plenty of old cars out there. Otherwise, it's hard to know what people really want in the car market, because most buyers are settling for something that's at a dealer and not ordering specifics, some makes don't allow orders, and even if you can order it's still trims and packages.
For the most part, every car made gets sold, too. If a car is undesirable, it gets a lot of incentives to get it off the lot. If the car maker misunderstood demand, a dud can still have large sales numbers, because some people will buy it when it's cheap enough.
If blender is a bit overwhelming for you (it was for me), give blockbench a try. I love how simple everything is, and you can always add plugins if you miss something. Its open-source too!
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