Let me tell you about my "rebadged Chevy" 2018 Cadillac XT5. It is 5.75 years old now. Not a single problem. Only maintenance has been oil and filter changes and one set of new tires at about 40,000 miles. The paint job is in perfect condition ... no fading, discolorization, peeling, chips, etc ... and the interior is in pristine condition. It was made with pride in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
My prior vehicle was a 2013 Cadillac CTS AWD ... same experience ... zero mechanical problems.
Over the years, I have owned just about everything under the sun: 1 Austin Healy, 2 Buicks, 4 Cadillacs, 1 Camaro, 3 Corvettes, 1 Chevy Impala, 4 Ford Mustangs, 2 Lincolns, 4 Mercedes-Benzes, 1 Peugeot, 2 Pontiacs, and 6 BMWs (3s, 5s, X and Z). Zero Chrysler products ... I always knew better than to go there.
Of all the vehicles I have owned, BMWs are the most temperamental, unreliable of the lot. Failed power windows and door locks, leaky windows, failed steering angle sensors, loss of power on the highway.
Back to EVs, Avis and Hertz have dumped their EV fleets because they are too problematic for themselves and their customers.
EV manufacturers have cut back on production. Unsold inventory is at unsupportable levels. Smart manufacturers like Toyota have stopped EV production and switched back to hybrids, a market in which they have extensive experience and repeat business. Ford has lost billions on EVs. The EV market is not profitable for anyone. Ford loses $36,000 for every F150 Lightning truck sold.
Just look at this flood of used Rivians dumped on the secondary market, many with less than 1,000 miles, and this is just one of many reseller sites:
Low-Mileage Used Rivian Vehicles
The EV market will die because there are not enough repeat customers. First-time buyers do not create sustainability in a market.
Repeat customers are the life blood of a company and the market in which they operate.
Without repeat customers, restaurants and grocery stores would be out of business in a week or less. With EV manufacturers, failure will take a little longer.
Baker Electric went bankrupt in 1915 after several promising years.
I think your view of sophistication is aligned with the upwardly-mobile yuppie white wine set which has a bit of discretionary spending power and wants to be "in" by following the latest trends like sheep.
You see, the only "sophistication" needed in my life is that which I create for myself on my own terms. I am well educated with degrees from top universities, I have served as Adjunct Professor of Computer Science for 13 years at Vanderbilt. I was CIO of a $15 Billion Corporation. I own a producing farm, with crops of wheat, corn and soybeans (I got out of the cattle business because of potential liability ... part of my farm is along a busy highway, and vandals cut fences), I own my own successful computer-based business with Fortune 500/1000 clients, I have an extensive knowledge of computer science, music, art, architecture and other subjects, I keep up with business, science, astronomy and other developments. In summation, I make my own "more modern, sophisticated market".
For me, after I get tired of maintaining my beautiful but problematic 2012 BMW X3, I will sell it and buy a nice new, peppy IC Mercedes Benz convertible. That's my idea of sophistication. YMMV.
I have no plans to ever buy an EV or a hybrid.
Now, there's no denying that I am getting older chronologically. So are you. More concerning to me than my own age, my "kids" are on the brink of 60. As Nationwide Insurance used to say: "Life comes at you fast". If you are lucky, you might make it to my age, with possible multiple years to spare. Your biggest concern and challenge along the way will be health and personal satisfaction. Putting the chronological aspect aside, I am extremely youthful, both physically and mentally. I still ride my super-fast 160 HP/183 MPH BMW K1600GTL with the best of them, but following Obama's only meaningful advice, I don't do "stupid stuff". I am physically fit. I can run pretty fast. I read and learn daily, whether it be science, medicine, quantum mechanics, architecture and construction, automotive matters and corrupt politics. I can solve mental "puzzles" with lightning speed. And, I probably know more about EVs and ICs than you.
Let me know when you buy your second and third EV ... or even your first one.
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