Under $3000: The Race To Build Really Cheap Cars

[TehBorken]

[a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/under_3000_the.php"]Under $3000: The Race To Build Really Cheap Cars[/a]

Renault-Nissan is planning on [a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/under_3000_the.php"]building a car for under $3000[/a]. The price could be as low as $2500, which is 40% less than the least expensive sub-compact car available today. The Chief Executive of the company, Carlos Ghosn, made this announcement at a plant-opening on April 4. An Indian carmaker, Tata Motors, plans to launch a $2500 car next year. This race for the really cheap car could have a major impact on the industry as a whole.

 

[Russ]

I really hope they come out with something like this... Vehicles have been getting more and more expensive, as well as hideously complex. Why?

  I mean a truck used to cost like 15k new.. now they are what.. 50k?

  With new methods of manufacturing, and newer cheaper more lightweight materials.. why so complex and expensive.    

[Lil Me]

  Russ wrote:
With new methods of manufacturing, and newer cheaper more lightweight materials.. why so complex and expensive.
 --
 Good thoughts all around, Russmeister.  But there's always the hideous R&D cost to recoup.  It's a huge Catch-22.   Massive design cost + cheap manufacturing + cheap materials still = expensive car.
 
 My cynical mind thinks that if the industry is going to build and market insanely cheap cars, it's only to promote the "disposable" culture and increase the # of unit sales.  The cars are going to crap out pretty quickly, as you know that noone will bother to perform routine PM on a cheap car.