Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle?

MacDoc said:
Happy that Australia also avoids tariffs on Chinese EVs. BYD very popular.
zecar.com

What BYD electric cars are coming to Australia? TEN models available as of 2026

BYD EVs are now one of the best selling electric cars in Australia. Nine EV models (six BEV and four PHEV) are available as of 2026 with several more to be released in the year. What other BYD models are coming to Australia?
zecar.com zecar.com
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Its to bad Australia lost it's entire automotive manufacturing industry. Nothing to protect.
 
Too small a population to support a national auto industry - if China can do it cheaper to Aus consumers...I'm all for it.
Some friends were Holden fans and they mourn but Aus wages are very high and we cannot compete. Personally I'm happy if China becomes the manufacturing centre of the world, we'll sell the critical minerals and iron ore to them.
 
MacDoc said:
Too small a population to support a national auto industry - if China can do it cheaper to Aus consumers...I'm all for it.
Some friends were Holden fans and they mourn but Aus wages are very high and we cannot compete. Personally I'm happy if China becomes the manufacturing centre of the world, we'll sell the critical minerals and iron ore to them.
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Much better to manufacture than sell raw materials and let others add value. Not much gets made down under anymore.
 
Not when you have a tiny wealthy population and immense mineral resources. Australians vie for the top spot in wealthiest per capita nations. Much depends on how well that wealth is distributed and while we are far from perfect we do better than most.
Australia is near the size of the continental US with only 27 million population. Housing costs remain a barrier to better GINI

19 Aug 2025 — We are now the second-wealthiest country in the world
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https://www.theguardian.com › commentisfree › aug

Norway maybe does a bit better but smaller country both population and physical area
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-05/lessons-for-australia-from-norways-tax-on-resources/105939048https://www.theguardian.com/comment...rld-its-time-to-lift-living-standards-for-all
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mimico_polak said:
Looking forward to getting more specs / details on this thing...

vehiclechef.com

Ford $30,000 EV Coming Sooner Than Expected with Affordable Electric Pickup - VehicleChef

(Source: Ford) If you’ve been waiting for an electric vehicle that doesn’t break the bank, Ford is sending a clear message: it’s coming soon. CEO Jim Farley confirmed that the
vehiclechef.com vehiclechef.com

Would be a great Maverick replacement.
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Last night I watched a video on how VW grew from a couple of dozen 36 HP jokes in 1950 to becoming a major force fifteen years later.

I had a 1962 and a 1966, enjoying the thrift and utility. If I had the storage space and $10K to $20K to spare, I'd have the 66 back for show and shine events. It would never be a daily driver for technical safety reasons. A 2025 VW only shares the name plate.

I can't see Ford being different from Tesla with a low $ entry point vehicle, The Tesla PU was to be $39K.

The $30K is probably USD so = $40K CDN plus PDI etc. There will be longer range batteries (Sold as a good resale investment) plus various trim upgrades and subscription features. $60-70K out the door? Why buy a work vehicle that looks like a work vehicle.
 
nobbie48 said:
Why buy a work vehicle that looks like a work vehicle.
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Part of the problem is increasing government regulation framed as safety drives up the base cost of a vehicle. There are many many thousands of dollars legally mandated in cameras,, automated emergency braking,, abs, air bags, etc. Like with home building, government standards/costs basically make affordable impossible.
 
GreyGhost said:
Part of the problem is increasing government regulation framed as safety drives up the base cost of a vehicle. There are many many thousands of dollars legally mandated in cameras,, automated emergency braking,, abs, air bags, etc. Like with home building, government standards/costs basically make affordable impossible.
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Exactly...add to the fact that EPA standards don't apply over a certain weight class...and it's easy to follow why there's an explosion of large vehicles / trucks and companies are getting rid of sedans.

Why bother making peanuts on smaller, cheaper, and more efficient vehicles...when you can make loads more by just marketing larger vehicles to people as the solution?
 
GreyGhost said:
Part of the problem is increasing government regulation framed as safety drives up the base cost of a vehicle. There are many many thousands of dollars legally mandated in cameras,, automated emergency braking,, abs, air bags, etc. Like with home building, government standards/costs basically make affordable impossible.
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While some mandated features are government mandated, I get the impression many house related ones are from trade lobbyists.

I'm not sure where sprinklers are with new houses. They add thousands to the already high costs and are of limited value from a life saving point of view. Think of the children is the usual cry but the government, through socialism, fights active thinking.

With cars for example, graduated driving should be followed by graduated vehicle size restrictions. A person that hasn't driven anything bigger than a Corolla can, with a G license, rent a behemoth from U-Haul. Change that to the new G license holder can only drive sub compacts for five years. If they don't learn habitual defensive driving, they won't make the five years or will develop chronic diarrhea.
 
nobbie48 said:
While some mandated features are government mandated, I get the impression many house related ones are from trade lobbyists.

I'm not sure where sprinklers are with new houses. They add thousands to the already high costs and are of limited value from a life saving point of view. Think of the children is the usual cry but the government, through socialism, fights active thinking.

With cars for example, graduated driving should be followed by graduated vehicle size restrictions. A person that hasn't driven anything bigger than a Corolla can, with a G license, rent a behemoth from U-Haul. Change that to the new G license holder can only drive sub compacts for five years. If they don't learn habitual defensive driving, they won't make the five years or will develop chronic diarrhea.
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I don't know who is the driving force behind nanny changes but the point is, the government should be working for the average citizen, not the average donor or lobbyist. So much crap has been embedded in code. Even something as simple as exterior insulation requirements seem innocuous as more is better but we have forced studs up to 2x6 as well as additional insulation outside which drives up costs substantially. At the bottom end of the market, I'd rather have the house cost $100K less with a bit higher energy bill and no provision for ev charging (if and when a bottom of the market house needed to charge at home, they could pay for the retrofit).

Similar in vehicles, maybe they could make a path for "professional" drivers? Sell a work truck without most of the expensive safety crap but require a D license or higher to operate it. Or maybe it would be a speed or power limited vehicle.

I have no problem with manufacturers adding safety stuff and marketing it. Forcing it onto every vehicle is stupid. It is also the least green path imaginable as even minor crashes result in write-offs. A vehicle that could have easily driven for another decade now needs to be replaced because of an air bag or aeb not working.
 
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GreyGhost said:
I don't know who is the driving force behind nanny changes but the point is, the government should be working for the average citizen, not the average donor or lobbyist. So much crap has been embedded in code. Even something as simple as exterior insulation requirements seem innocuous as more is better but we have forced studs up to 2x6 as well as additional insulation outside which drives up costs substantially. At the bottom end of the market, I'd rather have the house cost $100K less with a bit higher energy bill and no provision for ev charging (if and when a bottom of the market house needed to charge at home, they could pay for the retrofit).

Similar in vehicles, maybe they could make a path for "professional" drivers? Sell a work truck without most of the expensive safety crap but require a D license or higher to operate it. Or maybe it would be a speed or power limited vehicle.

I have no problem with manufacturers adding safety stuff and marketing it. Forcing it onto every vehicle is stupid. It is also the least green path imaginable is even minor crashes result in write offs. A vehicle that could have easily driven for another decade now needs to be replaced because of an air bag or aeb not working.
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It happened to a friend. A slow roll over into a ditch with deep snow triggered the air bags. The car was pulled out with next to no damage, but the air bags went off. The cost of new bags exceeded the value of the car. It's a scrapper that he can drive but only sell as a parts vehicle.
 
The French like their comfort.
 
When we were in Sierra Leon West Africa in the late 70s the choice of cars was the Mercedes followed by the Citroens as they just glided over the rough roads. Love the air suspension - start the car and it floats upward. No idea on reliable but if they survive in west Africa must be decent.
 
MacDoc said:
When we were in Sierra Leon West Africa in the late 70s the choice of cars was the Mercedes followed by the Citroens as they just glided over the rough roads. Love the air suspension - start the car and it floats upward. No idea on reliable but if they survive in west Africa must be decent.
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Hydro suspension is amazing when it's working but it is likely the most failure prone and expensive to maintain/repair option available. Mini had it, it was a dumpster fire. Citroen had it, it was a dumpster fire. BMW, Peugeot, Maserati and MB all had it on some models, dumpster fire. So many hoses and fittings. One leak and you are quickly scraping the ground and need to check hundreds of fittings to find the problem.
 
GreyGhost said:
Good on a leased car. Hand it back before the hoses get tired. IIRC Rolls used it too. At least their owners could afford the five figure bill to fix it.
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My uncle had a Ford Crown Vicky with air suspension. It rode like a dream but one time when he had it in for service the mechanic put it on a chassis hoist without locking out the suspension and blew out the air bags. The dealer didn't like the outcome.

I don't know if the lockout was required to change a flat.
 
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