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Dracoxidos t1_jeck81h wrote

Sales Research Rep: Sir, I have the latest report from dealers on why people aren't buying our cars or trucks.

CEO: And?

Rep: The COVID pandemic left our base consumers financially weak. So they couldn't afford new vehicles during or shortly after the lockdown.

CEO: So? We're past all that. Are they excited about our new EV line? Electric cars are all the new rage for these- what are they called- Millenials.

Rep: Well, no. Inflation has made it more expensive to buy basic necessities. No one can afford a new vehicle.

CEO: Inflation, eh?... Raise prices!

Rep: But sir-

CEO: The people love paying more for food. They'll love our trucks because they cost more. Basic economics!

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[deleted] t1_jed0rk9 wrote

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Dracoxidos t1_jee2j7o wrote

Demand exceeds supply at this point, true. Thus, my final line from the CEO. With the exception of the Lightning, it can be argued that the demand is being artificially inflated. Depending on where you live, only a certain number of EVs shipped to dealers in that area. Consumers see the limited supply, buy what they can quickly, the purchases show demand is high.

As for people buying quickly. Not for new car dealerships in my area. New car dealers' lots are full. If you look at the used lots, that's where sales are being made.

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dinoroo t1_jedw2ag wrote

That was a year and a half ago. They’ve priced too many people out of the market with their greed. If you want a Ford Lightning right now and have $90k, you can have one. I just cancelled my reservation from 5/2021 as did many others.

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[deleted] t1_jeelpsy wrote

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dinoroo t1_jeezeb4 wrote

Oh they have enough trucks for $40k, remember they actually have to add features to sell the other trucks. Those $40k were barebones and battery. They just literally do not want to sell at that price point. They’d rather sell one $90k truck versus four $40k trucks. Doesn’t really make sense to limit the visibility of your brand new model and revenue stream on the streets.

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GMFPs_sweat_towel t1_jecs0k1 wrote

Have you actually seen the car market the last 3 years? People are buying cars.

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TabletopMarvel t1_jecvukq wrote

People keep waiting for the crash.

The sad reality is. Prices aren't ever going back to what they were.

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dinoroo t1_jedw2x8 wrote

Same thing with houses.

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Dracoxidos t1_jee4rdy wrote

Hate to say. I own my house and bought it just before interest rates started going up. So I cheer this fact.

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Twisted_Cabbage t1_jectuxd wrote

Not for long. That was the economy high on postpandemic low unemployment, people spending as post pandemic therapy, and all those funds from the government aid.

We are heading straight into a recession, inflation is still hammering the middle class, we have global food and supply issues still, threats of war accelerating in Europe, the chicken industry getting brutalized by bird flu, and a generation that actually believes in and actually takes climate change seriously (rather forgo a new car altogether rather than get slammed by a big corpo for a rediculouly priced EV)..while said generation keeps geting slapped in the face by the points made above, while also having to soon have their studen loan payments come due. Also...the banks, big investors see the writing on the wall, which is why so many of these banks are going bust.

Let's face it, the high of capitalism is wearing off. As a collective society, the West has to keep doing more and more desperate things to keep the economy rolling at full consumption until the planet dies mode. Ecosystems are failing on a global scale and food is becoming more and more insecure.

Suicide and crime, and depression, and hate, and desperation are all at all-time highs... this also does not make for a good driver of the economy. Many people who can, are starting to tighten up their belts in preparation for a big social or economic storm. Those not doing so tend to be living in a hopium bubble in the name of protecting their mental health or have an income that creates its own information bubble.

The pool of those who have the means to spend obscene amounts of money on an insultingly priced EV truck will soon get spent.

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notaredditer13 t1_jeddq6s wrote

Dear lord, that's an awful lot of argument against reality. What a sad, pathetic way to live, believing that reality sucks because even though it is actually great it might temporarily get worse in the future, maybe.

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popquizmf t1_jedxoxb wrote

Hold up. Now, I'm. Not suggesting the post above you was all rainbows and dancing, but bro, have you lived under a rock? Shit is less than ideal right now.

Just because it's depressing, doesn't mean it isn't mostly accurate.

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notaredditer13 t1_jeexy7y wrote

>Hold up. Now, I'm. Not suggesting the post above you was all rainbows and dancing, but bro, have you lived under a rock? Shit is less than ideal right now.

Prior post: Things suck.

Me: Things are great.

You: Things are "less than ideal".

There's a wide gulf between "perfect" and "suck" and "less than ideal" fills the entire gulf. "Great" is in there too. You didn't actually disagree with me, you just gave a wishy-washy/meaningless characterization.

No, things are not "ideal' (perfect). I didn't say they were. They're merely great.

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Dracoxidos t1_jee4wuv wrote

To be fair. They're not wrong. It's now a matter of "what do we do about it?"

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Twisted_Cabbage t1_jeejdma wrote

Not wrong, yet still downvoted. Hopium is a powerful drug.

It's the answer to your question about what to do about it that is so depressing and also why so many people are living in a hopium filled fever dream.

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Dracoxidos t1_jegw2ww wrote

I'm a clinical optimist.

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notaredditer13 t1_jeexj3y wrote

It's completely wrong. That's what "argument against reality" means. They're arguing that things (reality) suck, which is objectively false.

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Dracoxidos t1_jegvlho wrote

I guess I should have been more specific about what I'm saying isn't wrong. I'm saying all that stuff that was mentioned does exist, and it does suck. I get that's being subjective and some of the stuff in the comment is probably inconsequential to their immediate personal life. It still sucks. So, what can we do about it?

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notaredditer13 t1_jegxzmq wrote

>I guess I should have been more specific about what I'm saying isn't wrong. I'm saying all that stuff that was mentioned does exist, and it does suck.

No, I know that's what you mean, and it's wrong. Basically everything that guy said that's specific enough or backwards-looking (so available facts to support/refute) is factually wrong. Just one example:

>...crime... are all at all-time highs...

There's lots of different crimes, but most of them peaked in the 1980s. Here's murder:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/187592/death-rate-from-homicide-in-the-us-since-1950/

Note: it went up a bit during COVID to 6.9, still way below what it was in the 1980s.

"violent crime"

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IF12281.pdf

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Dracoxidos t1_jee2ujy wrote

Thus, the final line from the CEO. And it varies from area to area. All new car lots in my area are full to the gills and not moving (there's a $77k F150 Lightning that's been sitting at the front of the lot of a dealer for 7 months). While the used lots are selling almost faster than they can supply.

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eagle52997 t1_jee90sr wrote

There's a barely used, but still used, f150 lightning at my local dealer too. But it's a loaded platinum so the price is like 120k. No wonder it's been sitting for a few months.

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