Just a day after TechCrunch revealed that Jeff Bezos was supporting a secret EV startup called Slate Auto, an early version of the company’s low-cost electric pickup truck was discovered in the wild.
Reddit user u/discostanger09 posted a photo on R/Whatisthiscar subreddit, a small gray two-seater pickup truck in a flatbed on Wednesday. Users said it was offloaded from containers outside their Los Angeles area offices. This photo was first reported by car stores Carscoops and Autopian.
The truck depicted is actually one Slate Auto working on it, according to someone with a direct knowledge of Slate Auto vehicle design, who spoke anonymously. The person whose identity is known for TechCrunch said the truck is likely one of the concept vehicles that the startup has created to show potential investors, including LA Dodgers managers, at a design studio in Long Beach, California.
The truck is simply styled, with a grille that resembles a modern Ford Broncosport. It also looks like a smaller, simplified Libian R1T. This is interesting considering that the head of the slate appearance design came to a secret startup before he had a short stint in Libian.
But there is no dramatic prosperity. That’s because of design.
As TechCrunch reported exclusively earlier this week, the younger company is about to build a business around a truck that involves selling at a low price of around $25,000. Slate plans to upsell customers for different types of customizations and accessories. The company applied for a trademark with the phrase “We built it. You make it,” and mentioned something that sounded like a customization program called “Slate University” on its employment list.
Another slate trademark that has not yet been reported is for the phrase “blank slate.” This is one way for a company to refer to the basic model of the truck, following someone who is familiar with the problem and before the customer selects customization options. It’s unclear if the company has settled on the truck’s name, despite not leaving stealth for a few weeks. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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