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by pushfoo 727 days ago
TL;DR: US manufacturers seem to favor the luxury market due to margins, but that might change

To my understanding, there are two main demographics:

* truck as tool (you and I)

* truck as identity statement & luxury good

Sadly, long-running vehicles don't fit the short-term stock price boost margins on luxury features seem to offer. As a result, we've moved past heated seats to focus on:

* ever-growing size

* tailgating accessories

* touch screens and voice assistants

However, even the target market for this seems to have its limits. I've seen a forum thread where people are asking what the point of Alexa is[1] if it doesn't integrate with anything. If you look at the "Similar threads" section at the bottom, there are plenty more Alexa sync issues.

Maybe people will get fed up eventually?

[1]: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/is-alexa-us...

3 comments

There are tax advantages as I understand it if the truck is over a certain weight. This skews preferences towards a larger truck, since small trucks don't weigh enough.
"margins..." and market buying behavior.

Trucks are indeed comically large, partly due to buyers, partly margins and partly US emission laws.

People are fed up, but the price floor for trucks are high due to US federal safety standards. These Kei trucks do not meet these standards, so manufacturers can sell them at a low price with decent margins.