Some of y’all likely already saw this article in the WSJ. We are discussing it in one of my MBA classes today and thought I’d share it with the community:
Seems to me a lot of these car manufacturers are clueless. Not a lot of attention paid to what their customers want, and the article made no mention of the egregious market conditions at their affiliated dealerships over the past 3 or so years. The thought that these massive companies don’t have some of their smart employees engaging with well-educated communities like this one is completely crazy to me. Maybe they do?
I understand that the scum-of-the-earth, bottom-feeders that are the life blood of this community are their worst nightmare: well-informed consumers, who are not easy marks, who can and will call bullshit when it comes to making a large investment. I think their disdain has blinded them to what communities like this one might offer them: access to some of the most informed, in-tuned and discerning consumers. Might want to hear from them, or listen to what they’re saying as they might be clued in or the harbinger of what’s to come.
My younger family members in their 30s or younger I notice more than a little anxiety around their phone dying, and that seems to carry forward into the prospect of having an EV.
Also some other factors which can’t be overlooked: home affordability became even more challenging with rising rates; can’t install a charger at a rental property. Laid off from Faang/Fortune 500 and took a job with fewer perks like charging at work. Early adopters had naturally 0 awareness of downsides like cold weather performance and word of mouth reviews IRL or online can scare prospective buyers off.
Normally the younger someone is, the more likely they’ll want to be on the cutting edge of technology but there are a lot of headwinds against what should be EV’s best demographic.
