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- bill
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On topic;
those of us old enough to remember the gas crunch of the 1970's have seen this before. Due to economic environment in Merkuh, there is a sharp turn toward economical vehicles happening, both in initial purchase price and cost of operation.
The mfgs are scrambling to put cheaper vehicles on the market, but it literally takes years to design, engineer, test and get DOT approval for a new vehicle to be on the lot. The shortcut is to take a vehicle that already exists but is not available in Merkuh, do a few tweeks to get it to pass Merkun and acceleration, emission, and safety test requirements (yes, we have a minimum acceleration standard...). And throw in a few things that Merkuns expect all vehicles to have now, such as power windows and locks, AC; and auto tranny. Pretty easy to do.
People mention the Toyota HiLux as a possibility, but it's already offered in Merkuh, and renamed the "Tacoma".
Toyota is working on the "Stout" as a low-cost vehicle for possible Merkuh release.
Other companies that currently do not import to Merkuh may come in to play. There are several Chinese automakers that are perfectly happy just selling to the MUCH larger Chinese market (more than twice as large as Merkun car market). SAIC, BYD, and Geely among several others could decide to make vehicles for sale here, and that would turn the market upside down.
Tata makes a decent, well respected pickup, and it costs less than $10,000. To get it to pass USA requirements it would need a few things, but likely not increase the sales price above $15,000. But, add in the "chicken tax" and new tariffs etc. and it would be at least $25k for the same truck that would sell for $15k elsewhere.
What would be very popular in the new economy would be legalization of "Kei Cars". They are all over Japan, especially in cities. Some cities/counties in Merkuh have legalized them for street use, but they are limited to roads with a 35mph speed limit because they lack safety equipment needed for high speed accidents. The cheap and easy analogy would be to call them "golf carts", but they are more car than cart. Not much bigger than a 4x8 piece of plywood footprint, they come in a variety of styles from sportscar to pickup. Some Kei vehicles WERE legal in Merkuh; I had a Suzuki Samurai in the 1980's, and the "Smart Car" was also road legal.
One way to circumvent the safety requirements is to have a three-wheeled vehicle, since they are essentially classified as "motorcycles". There have been a few offered over the years, like the Sparrow or Aptera, and a few truck-like jitneys. Not much good for "truck stuff" or roadtrips, but meet the needs for a commuter vehicle for 80%+ of the driving population.
those of us old enough to remember the gas crunch of the 1970's have seen this before. Due to economic environment in Merkuh, there is a sharp turn toward economical vehicles happening, both in initial purchase price and cost of operation.
The mfgs are scrambling to put cheaper vehicles on the market, but it literally takes years to design, engineer, test and get DOT approval for a new vehicle to be on the lot. The shortcut is to take a vehicle that already exists but is not available in Merkuh, do a few tweeks to get it to pass Merkun and acceleration, emission, and safety test requirements (yes, we have a minimum acceleration standard...). And throw in a few things that Merkuns expect all vehicles to have now, such as power windows and locks, AC; and auto tranny. Pretty easy to do.
People mention the Toyota HiLux as a possibility, but it's already offered in Merkuh, and renamed the "Tacoma".
Toyota is working on the "Stout" as a low-cost vehicle for possible Merkuh release.
Other companies that currently do not import to Merkuh may come in to play. There are several Chinese automakers that are perfectly happy just selling to the MUCH larger Chinese market (more than twice as large as Merkun car market). SAIC, BYD, and Geely among several others could decide to make vehicles for sale here, and that would turn the market upside down.
Tata makes a decent, well respected pickup, and it costs less than $10,000. To get it to pass USA requirements it would need a few things, but likely not increase the sales price above $15,000. But, add in the "chicken tax" and new tariffs etc. and it would be at least $25k for the same truck that would sell for $15k elsewhere.
What would be very popular in the new economy would be legalization of "Kei Cars". They are all over Japan, especially in cities. Some cities/counties in Merkuh have legalized them for street use, but they are limited to roads with a 35mph speed limit because they lack safety equipment needed for high speed accidents. The cheap and easy analogy would be to call them "golf carts", but they are more car than cart. Not much bigger than a 4x8 piece of plywood footprint, they come in a variety of styles from sportscar to pickup. Some Kei vehicles WERE legal in Merkuh; I had a Suzuki Samurai in the 1980's, and the "Smart Car" was also road legal.
One way to circumvent the safety requirements is to have a three-wheeled vehicle, since they are essentially classified as "motorcycles". There have been a few offered over the years, like the Sparrow or Aptera, and a few truck-like jitneys. Not much good for "truck stuff" or roadtrips, but meet the needs for a commuter vehicle for 80%+ of the driving population.
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