This week, every major media outlet, minor media outlet, and human with access to a keyboard reported that Slate Auto, the up-and-coming low-cost EV truck maker, was "dumb enough" to “accidentally leak its new truck price” on its own website. As it turns out, I know a person in PR at Slate, and he's not dumb. Quite the opposite. Could the price announcement have been a carefully planned and very well executed promotional event?
Slate's Promise - Low Cost - But How Low?
Slate has been promising an extremely low-cost EV for years now. It’s a smaller-than-compact pickup that will be bare bones to the extreme. It will come with round black tires, clear glass, a seat or two, and not much more. The whole point is that Slate will have the lowest-priced EV on sale. The only problem is that Ford is planning that too. And Ford is the company that literally invented the idea of affordable trucks.
About that "Price Leak"
When Slate allegedly “leaked its entry price” on its own website, the automotive media responded like a bass to a hula popper. The published articles, videos, and social blogs poured forth like chants at a soccer match. Are you OK if I stop with the similes and analogies now? Suffice it to say, Slate got gobs and gobs of free advertising from whatever it is that actually happened.
I don't begrudge Slate this move if it was actually a promotional something-or-other. As the VP of the New England Motor Press Association, I do sort of begrudge having never seen a Slate vehicle, prototype or otherwise, in person as of yet. Most automakers accept our invitation to come show off the product and tell us all the great things about it so we can then produce crazy amounts of high-value content for the New York Times, Road and Track, Robb Report, Car Gurus, and all the other publications our membership peppers with content. But a cool gorilla marketing ploy? Nope. I love the whole idea of it, actually.
Not only do I root for any American-made company, but I am also a big fan of hyper-affordable small trucks. My very first new vehicle purchase was a 1990 Mitsubishi Mighty Max subcompact pickup, which I paid $5,999 for. After testing Ford’s early version of the Maverick Hybrid, I offered my local dealer full MSRP to buy one. They chuckled politely and told me there was a mile-long waiting list and a $10K "market price adjustment." A.K.A. dealer markup. I even asked Ford if I could buy the media loaner I had tested once it was out of the fleet - at full price. Ford declined. Nobody really wants to sell you a low-cost pickup anymore, is my conclusion.
Maybe Slate will sell me one. Of course, we really don't know the price yet. Unless you believe the $25K allegedly leaked MSRP and add about $2K in Delivery fees to that to arrive at $27K. Is that the price? Slate won’t tell us. I officially reached out on behalf of my publication and also the New England Motor Press, and my email was ignored. Your guess is as good as mine if the price is $27K, $37K, or $ 47K. Only time will tell. What do you think? Is the price you are seeing everywhere an accidental leak, or something else? Tell us in the comments below.
Disclaimer - This article is strictly respectful and admiring speculation. We have no knowledge of any Slate program that would release its entry price in a way that makes it seem like an accident. Any inference you draw is your own.
About the Author:
John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.
Slate EV pickup image courtesy of Slate Auto.
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