Good post Fred!
They are hardly going to have a top of the range model that doesn't have bundled all of the toys...
It just won't be fast.
It will be loaded.
Agree. I’m old enough to remember when the early hot hatches weren’t particularly well equipped compared to the more luxury oriented model(s). The first hot hatch I owned was a 1982 Ford XR3, bought new. It had manual window winders, no central locking, a basic two band radio (no cassette deck) with a single speaker, and it didn’t have a sunroof. I could have bought an Escort Ghia - the luxury model that had electric windows, central locking (I think), sunroof, and a radio cassette player as standard - no alloys though; it made do with shiny wheel trims on steel wheels.
I was young and wanted a car with all the hot hatch looks of spoilers, alloys, colour coded bumpers and door mirror caps, so was happy to sacrifice the luxuries, so it was the low spec hot hatch for me
TBH most marques are trying to trim down the choices and some even (SEAT for example) don't have options, they just have packages.
Yes, I dare say that standard trim packages results in production efficiencies, cost savings and reduces lead times so financially, it makes sense from a car manufacturer’s perspective.
The other thing to chuck into this discussion is that the switch to making BEV's isn't being matched by consumer demand. That's not me rubbishing BEV's personally, it's fairly common data that shows the factories are pumping them out but the buyers aren't buying them fast enough.
There was an item today on the local news website in the area I live highlighting that car dealers didn’t want to take in BEV’s as part exchanges as low customer demand meant the dealers were struggling to move them on.
The issues that you’ve highlighted such as EV charging infrastructure, charging times, range anxiety - not to mention the current uncertain heavy depreciation - are all fuelling that low customer demand.
I'd describe the issue as being that "cars" have provided freedom and unlimited mobility for so long now that the idea of a "car" that reduces this is a big issue with consumers. I can jump in my Golf right now and drive to Berlin if I want to. It will get me there and refuelling won't be an issue. The journey time is predictable and there will be no guesswork.
As opposed to planning to charge it ahead of time (potentially half a day), trying to find chargers en route, waiting in queue for potentially hours, hoping its not cold or raining that means even more stops...
It doesn't feel like freedom.
Agree; ICE cars have put us in a very fortunate position as far as personal freedom and mobility is concerned; anything less will inevitably be considered as removal of some of that freedom which won’t be universally accepted, to put it mildly.