It is also the case that legacy car manufacturers have to maintain and transition their existing infrastructure alongside new electric models. This gives them a lot of overhead compared to new startups.
I think what surprises me is that there aren’t more joint ventures between battery and vehicle manufacturers.
It’s the market innit?
Freedom of choice. How ironic.
I suppose the above comparison perfectly illustrates the effect of 45 years of neoliberal brainwashing: all our billionaire overlords want is for everyone else to be an unthinking consumer, incapable of independent thought.
You can have any colour, as long as it’s black.
I wonder how much of it is simply how they’ve become so expensive they’re really just “assets” or on leases, that they have the uniformity because it’s supposedly easier to sell on or will retain their market value better.
No wonder 50 Shades of Grey sold so well…
That seems to be the case in Germany. We now have two black cars because that’s all they had left with the models that we wanted.
If you ever ask why you can’t get it in the colour of your choice, it’s because there is “no demand” for them.
Apparently, this is why most new cars are pissing SUVs.
Cars have become perishable goods these days, like washing machines. No chance you see any of todays cars being restored and cherised as classics, bar the odd supercar I bet.
The colour thing, cost of setting up different paint booths? I also wonder how much is driven by the fleet market?
I have grown to loath them. Apart from a slightly elevated driving position, what do they offer? Boot space is oftem smaller than a good estate and everything else is no better than a car. I dont get them.
Give me a van every day of the week.
Well this is where I, and many other people, buy them from. I’m not going to pass over a purchase because it isn’t my preferred colour, although I might give it a pass if it was shocking pink or something. They probably exclude the ones that no-one wants but very few people are radically offended by drab.
Also interior space. When we were looking for a car for my wife, we looked at some of these crossover things. They looked relatively big. Bigger externally than a Golf. But they were very cramped inside.
She ended up with a Kia Picanto which is tiny externally but actually has sufficient head and leg room inside.
Weird isnt it. Huge great box but less actual room inside it.
But just think how safe little Tarquin and Arabella are inside their mini fortress on wheels!
Not.
Trying to set our kids up as they move into adulthood. Cars are essential in these parts. Daughter has got my wife’s fairly new Honda Civic. Son has now taken possession of a nice Honda CRV before he goes to college. It will more than see him through, then when he graduates and gets into work he can sort himself out.
And yes, the colours are in the grey spectrum!
It all means me and Mrs ROTW have a new car and a very old car between us. Trying to watch the pennies as we get two kids through college - ridiculously expensive over here. So we will keep hold of the old car as long as we can, and it will just become an in town sort of vehicle. It was recently at a crossroads with a fairly expensive repair, but we decided to fix and keep it going.
I miss the days of living in the UK, when we were quite ok to share a car. Cycling and public transport made up the rest, and we were more than fine. It’s a different world over here, with no public transport to speak of, and things spread out to the point that a car is essential.
We i started to get busy. Tin worm to sort. But its not far off 34 years old so not unexpected. Welder back in action again.
Sunbeam update: spent the last few months tinkering with bugs in the electrical. Found a bad fuse, have most of the car working properly. Signals won’t work with foot on the brake, that’s still one that puzzles me. And my temp gauge.
But, refinished the wire wheels and new rubber means I got to go for a drive yesterday with the blessing of some sunshine.
That’s weird. Do the brake lights work with the indicator on? Some of those old rear clusters used to have a shared earth wire for the brake, indicator, and tail lights; so it is always possible that one is back to front.
That sounds like a short in the cables and I’d guess in and around the tail lights somewhere. Good luck with that! Me plus multimeter is never a good combo.
Temp. gauge could be the sender. In early T4’s they are notorious for cracked solder joints in the circuit board for the dash which kills the temp and fuel gauges.
brake lights work without the indicator
indicators work without foot on the brake
together = just brake lights, no blinky-blinky 
all still appears to be factory wiring.
