Toyota is actually doing some promotion in one of the malls in the area where they are displaying a model inside for people to look at, and it was really disappointing. Hearing that the wheels...
Toyota is actually doing some promotion in one of the malls in the area where they are displaying a model inside for people to look at, and it was really disappointing. Hearing that the wheels were falling off of it wasn't terribly surprising, to be honest. It feels strangely hobbled together. The fact that it's classed as an SUV is an absolute joke; neither me nor my husband could fit in the driver's seat, and most of the other people fawning over the new car weren't able to fit either. It's one of the ugliest car designs I've seen in a long time as well. And to my personal annoyance, it's very expensive, selling for over 40K, just like every other EV out there.
It's their first BEV, sure, but it's not their first car. I was hoping they would do better. But it kind of feels like they made this car this bad so they would have an excuse to say "we tried!" and not make more BEVs.
I'm not surprised about the low domestic adoption rate. A kei car, brand new, is dirt cheap here, and since they're tiny and underpowered, they also sip fuel. Unlike the US, where land yachts are...
I'm not surprised about the low domestic adoption rate. A kei car, brand new, is dirt cheap here, and since they're tiny and underpowered, they also sip fuel. Unlike the US, where land yachts are the norm, kei cars make up over a third of all new cars sold. Hybrid cars are also the norm for non-kei cars. At current EV prices, it would take over a decade for an EV to become cost effective compared to an ICE car.
Couple that with the fact that for most people, a car isn't an absolute necessity and the added cost of buying an EV becomes harder to justify.
Toyota is actually doing some promotion in one of the malls in the area where they are displaying a model inside for people to look at, and it was really disappointing. Hearing that the wheels were falling off of it wasn't terribly surprising, to be honest. It feels strangely hobbled together. The fact that it's classed as an SUV is an absolute joke; neither me nor my husband could fit in the driver's seat, and most of the other people fawning over the new car weren't able to fit either. It's one of the ugliest car designs I've seen in a long time as well. And to my personal annoyance, it's very expensive, selling for over 40K, just like every other EV out there.
It's their first BEV, sure, but it's not their first car. I was hoping they would do better. But it kind of feels like they made this car this bad so they would have an excuse to say "we tried!" and not make more BEVs.
Archive and paywall bypass
https://archive.is/hlv9k
I'm not surprised about the low domestic adoption rate. A kei car, brand new, is dirt cheap here, and since they're tiny and underpowered, they also sip fuel. Unlike the US, where land yachts are the norm, kei cars make up over a third of all new cars sold. Hybrid cars are also the norm for non-kei cars. At current EV prices, it would take over a decade for an EV to become cost effective compared to an ICE car.
Couple that with the fact that for most people, a car isn't an absolute necessity and the added cost of buying an EV becomes harder to justify.