SLATE Truck Debuts as Modular Pickup & SUV

[YDR37]

Two big questions have not been answered:

-Who is handling deliveries?
-Who will perform warranty repairs and service the vehicle?

Deliveries: Still unclear, although Slate claims to have a deal with "a national logistics and distribution partner". Destination/delivery fees have not been announced.

Service: Slate has an arrangement with the RepairPal network of auto shops. The RepairPal shops are supposed to be capable of installing Slate accessories as well.

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[PungoteagueDave]

Base Maverick is a far better deal. There are many new 2026's online right now for $28k with much higher content for only $3k if you beleive the Slate deal - higher towing (2,000 standard but 4,000 with towing package), hybrid drivetrain (40 MPG), actual paint colors, electric windows, AC, entertainment system, keyless entry & start, 4 doors with rear seats (5 passengers vs 2). And the Maverick is available right now. I get the EV advantages, have had ten, currently have a CT and MY, but every bit of utility here says the Maverick is an actual small truck with good content, while a Slate that is equipped nicely would cost far more and do less. As is, it's a toy, perhaps a UTV competitor, but even there, I would go Maverick.

 

[Outdoors]

[/QUOTE]

Base Maverick is a far better deal. There are many new 2026's online right now for $28k with much higher content for only $3k if you beleive the Slate deal - higher towing (2,000 standard but 4,000 with towing package), hybrid drivetrain (40 MPG), actual paint colors, electric windows, AC, entertainment system, keyless entry & start, 4 doors with rear seats (5 passengers vs 2). And the Maverick is available right now. I get the EV advantages, have had ten, currently have a CT and MY, but every bit of utility here says the Maverick is an actual small truck with good content, while a Slate that is equipped nicely would cost far more and do less. As is, it's a toy, perhaps a UTV competitor, but even there, I would go Maverick.

They may be very easy to build and price but try to get an XL with the hybrid engine and find it in inventory. All are close, but that's not how dealers order them. There are Mavericks that sticker out in mid 40s.

Hate to say it but that is the typical story with Ford is that by the time you walk out the door that $27,000 truck now cost $32,000.

For me X3

That's 96k vs 75k. But the priceless aspect would be never having to walk into a Ford dealership for oil changes, or for any other reason.

 

[devdrone6]

Base Maverick is a far better deal. There are many new 2026's online right now for $28k with much higher content for only $3k if you beleive the Slate deal - higher towing (2,000 standard but 4,000 with towing package), hybrid drivetrain (40 MPG), actual paint colors, electric windows, AC, entertainment system, keyless entry & start, 4 doors with rear seats (5 passengers vs 2). And the Maverick is available right now. I get the EV advantages, have had ten, currently have a CT and MY, but every bit of utility here says the Maverick is an actual small truck with good content, while a Slate that is equipped nicely would cost far more and do less. As is, it's a toy, perhaps a UTV competitor, but even there, I would go Maverick.

Made in USA - this should be beat all other comparisons.

The maverick is much bigger than the slate. And at 25k, the price is right to justify giving up a few niceties to get American made.

Edit: and yes I did own a Maverick 3 years ago. It was not the hybrid version and hated the loud 4 banger. But I still loved the truck.

 

[YDR37]

Base Maverick is a far better deal. There are many new 2026's online right now for $28k with much higher content for only $3k if you beleive the Slate deal - higher towing (2,000 standard but 4,000 with towing package), hybrid drivetrain (40 MPG), actual paint colors, electric windows, AC, entertainment system, keyless entry & start, 4 doors with rear seats (5 passengers vs 2). And the Maverick is available right now. [/B]

I agree that a base Maverick is a competitive option, but just for the record:

- The base $25K Slate does include AC as a standard feature, so AC is not a Maverick advantage.

- It's true that there is a 4K towing package for the Maverick, but it's not available on the base FWD Maverick, because it requires AWD. If you configure a $28K base Maverick with the 4K tow package, it becomes a $32K Maverick, because it switches to the AWD version. The base FWD Maverick and the RWD Slate are both 2WD, and both have 2K towing.

 

[YDR37]

The maverick is much bigger than the slate. And at 25k, the price is right to justify giving up a few niceties to get American made.

Just to provide a little more detail on those points:

- The Slate is made in Indiana. The Ford Maverick is made in Mexico.

- The Maverick may seem small, but it is 25.2 inches longer than the Slate (so more than 2 feet; 199.8 vs 174.6 inches). However, the shorter Slate actually has the longer bed (5 ft vs 4.5 ft). Of course, this is because the Slate has a 2-door cab (seats 2) and the Maverick has a 4-door cab (seats 5). The Slate website has a size comparison with the Maverick, see graphic below:

 

[Outdoors]

Made in USA - this should be beat all other comparisons.

The maverick is much bigger than the slate. And at 25k, the price is right to justify giving up a few niceties to get American made.

Edit: and yes I did own a Maverick 3 years ago. It was not the hybrid version and hated the loud 4 banger. But I still loved the truck.

https://www.slate.auto/en/where-slate-is-made

They seem pretty passionate about it in words. Would like to see the final build component break down by country.

Too many average Americans tend to think anything other than the traditional American companies are foreign. They just don't know names and I think are conditioned to think that everything with a weird, strange name isn't from here.

Either way I feel good about driving a Cybertruck, and here another American made product. Not that that's the end-all be-all but it's a cherry on the top

 

[Mini2nut]

Demand seems to be high with 180k reservations. It will be interesting to see the conversion rate.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Just to provide a little more detail on those points:

- The Slate is made in Indiana. The Ford Maverick is made in Mexico.

- The Maverick may seem small, but it is 25.2 inches longer than the Slate (so more than 2 feet; 199.8 vs 174.6 inches). However, the shorter Slate actually has the longer bed (5 ft vs 4.5 ft). Of course, this is because the Slate has a 2-door cab (seats 2) and the Maverick has a 4-door cab (seats 5). The Slate website has a size comparison with the Maverick, see graphic below:

So 25” in added length gets you a nicely usable back seat and two more doors for under $3k. That practicality is huge and for almost any daily driver use case makes the Slate almost an irresponsible choice - think about the ride quality alone in that short wheelbase. Perhaps as a UTV or Jeep alternative…

The towns in northern Mexico are effectively American, the Maverick’s design is 100% American, and the corporate parent is a U.S. company. Content is technically only 26% U.S., but if we’re honest, the vast majority of Teslas sold in the world have zero U.S. content beyond design. Due to the USMCA there is no distinction in terms of U.S. vs. Mexico or Canada for content sourcing - it is all North American.

From Ai:

Teslas sold in Europe and China contain almost no US content. Most vehicles in these markets are built at Gigafactory Shanghai, which uses a highly localized Chinese supply chain (often over 90% local). European buyers receive cars from Gigafactory Berlin, which sources heavily from local European suppliers rather than the US.

Here is the breakdown of how supply chains dictate US content by region:

1. China-Built Vehicles (Sold in China and exported to Europe)

• Manufacturing Origin: The vast majority of Model 3s and Model Ys in China—as well as those exported to European markets—are built at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory.
• US Content: Nearly 0. These vehicles rely on local Chinese suppliers for batteries, interior trim, dashboards, and raw materials, with localized parts content estimated to exceed 90% to maximize production efficiency and bypass international tariffs.

2. Europe-Built Vehicles (Sold in Europe)

• Manufacturing Origin: Vehicles built at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg serve the European market.
• US Content: Very low. These vehicles are primarily composed of European-sourced parts (e.g., German-sourced motors, battery cells, and structural components) and some battery components imported from China, with negligible assembly or part reliance on the United States.

3. Comparison: US-Built Teslas

In contrast to the vehicles sold abroad, Teslas sold in North America feature high domestic and North American content, consistently leading the Cars.com American-Made Index. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• Model 3 Long Range: ~75% US, Mexican and Canadian parts
• Model Y / Model 3 Performance: ~70% US, Mexican and Canadian parts
• Model S: ~65% US and Canadian parts
• Model X: ~60% US and Canadian parts

 

[Outdoors]

Ok back to the Slate.

The Gotion plant also in Indiana will be making the prismatic cells. The interview with the COO said basically it's nice to have them being made down the road from us.

Sorry if it isn't in the US. There is no such thing as basically or kind of US. Ya are or ya ain't.

 

[YDR37]

In contrast to the vehicles sold abroad, Teslas sold in North America feature high domestic and North American content, consistently leading the Cars.com American-Made Index.

As you indicate, Teslas sold in China and Europe have little or no US content. And we can now add Canada to that list: due to the tariff wars, most Canadian Teslas are now imported from China, rather than the US.

The Cybertruck is an exception, because it is only made in the US. But Canadian CTs now start at around $100,000 (in US dollars) after tariffs, and sales are probably low.

At this point, there is probably very little export of US-made Teslas with domestic/North American content. I believe that Mexico gets US-made Teslas, and that Taiwan also gets them due to restrictions on imports from mainland China. There are niche sales of CTs in the Middle East and South Korea. The Model S and Model X were made only in the US and were historically exported, but those have been discontinued.

This is a problem for the Fremont and Austin factories. US demand has been falling since 2023, so they are making fewer vehicles for the domestic market. But they can't make vehicles for most export markets either, because of higher US costs and foreign tariffs.

Tesla doesn't break down the production numbers, but it's widely assumed that the Shanghai factory now makes more Teslas than the other three factories (Fremont, Austin, Berlin) put together.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Ok back to the Slate.

The Gotion plant also in Indiana will be making the prismatic cells. The interview with the COO said basically it's nice to have them being made down the road from us.

Sorry if it isn't in the US. There is no such thing as basically or kind of US. Ya are or ya ain't.

It simply isn't accounted for that way in any statistics that are presented for content. USMCA made sure of that. Chevy, Ford and Stellantis pickups all have significant ex-U.S. and Mexico content. There are no pure U.S. major market vehicles, although Tesla gets closest for some models. The Silverado is 40% U.S., 40% Mexico, and 20% Canada/elsewhere. The F-150 is assembled here, but is only 45% U.S./Canadian content. You may be referring to final assembly location, because even the CT has significant non-U.S. content:

The Monroney sticker for the Cybertruck lists the following regional value and parts content breakdown:

• U.S. / Canadian Content: 65%
• Major Source of Foreign Parts (Mexico): 25%
• Other International Content (e.g., Asia/Europe): 10%

Putting all of that aside, compared with the Slate, Teslas at least look fairly good, other than the CT’s controversial design. The Slate is simply butt-fulgy. The old Tatra, Fiat 179 or Yugo looks nicely designed by comparison. I get that’s part of the ethos, but come on, the Slate is so ugly that it isn't even cute. It’s like the designers took the lowest common denominators from the Aztec, Reliant and Trabant USSR-era models, stuck on a box bed and said “let’s see if the Emporer’s clothing approach to consumer taste still applies.”

 

[Outdoors]

It simply isn't accounted for that way in any statistics that are presented for content. USMCA made sure of that. Chevy, Ford and Stellantis pickups all have significant ex-U.S. and Mexico content. There are no pure U.S. major market vehicles, although Tesla gets closest for some models. The Silverado is 40% U.S., 40% Mexico, and 20% Canada/elsewhere. The F-150 is assembled here, but is only 45% U.S./Canadian content. You may be referring to final assembly location, because even the CT has significant non-U.S. content:

The Monroney sticker for the Cybertruck lists the following regional value and parts content breakdown:

• U.S. / Canadian Content: 65%
• Major Source of Foreign Parts (Mexico): 25%
• Other International Content (e.g., Asia/Europe): 10%

Putting all of that aside, compared with the Slate, Teslas at least look fairly good, other than the CT’s controversial design. The Slate is simply butt-fulgy. The old Tatra, Fiat 179 or Yugo looks nicely designed by comparison. I get that’s part of the ethos, but come on, the Slate is so ugly that it isn't even cute. It’s like the designers took the lowest common denominators from the Aztec, Reliant and Trabant USSR-era models, stuck on a box bed and said “let’s see if the Emporer’s clothing approach to consumer taste still applies.”

My comment was regarding the Northern Mexican towns. Many countries in the world find that offensive. Saying that area is basically US. Or a border town belongs to the other country.

 

[jf64k]

Demand seems to be high with 180k reservations. It will be interesting to see the conversion rate.

That gives me the CT pre-order vibes, haha!!

Remember in 2024 when people were being quoted 1-2 year waits, then it all collapsed and Tesla was trying to get rid of last of the FS by offering free supercharging?

I have a “2027” delivery window with Slate, but I’m thinking it will be rapidly moved up to this year.

 

[YDR37]

That gives me the CT pre-order vibes, haha!!

Remember in 2024 when people were being quoted 1-2 year waits, then it all collapsed and Tesla was trying to get rid of last of the FS by offering free supercharging?

Yeah, I thought the same thing. So I'm not putting much stock in the reservation numbers. However, I will acknowledge that the final price of the blank Slate seems to be consistent with pre-order expectations, which unfortunately was not the case with the Cybertruck. So that could boost the conversion rate.

I have a “2027” delivery window with Slate, but I’m thinking it will be rapidly moved up to this year.

Keep us posted on the status.

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