> A vehicle's primary use is take people and objects from point A to B, and do so reliably
Car longevity increased a ton in the last several decades years, and so "something that moves" isn't as central a motivation for new car sales anymore. If they just need something that moves, buyers can find countless used cars that still run and will keep doing so for hundreds of thousands of more miles. It's tough to compete in that space and come away with a worthwhile margin on top of fresh design and manufacturing costs.
So manufacturers, who don't want to scale down sales and production, try to entice buyers with shiny things that aren't available on old models and focus on higher price tiers. And that it coincides with booming tech culture and its fashion/impulse-driven purchase cycles makes it that much easier for them.
> Car longevity increased a ton in the last several decades years, and so "something that moves" isn't as central a motivation for new car sales anymore.
I don't think this is a valid take. Robustness is absolutely not the reason why cars are being heavily marketed based on luxury extras, even on base models.
> If they just need something that moves, buyers can find countless used cars that still run and will keep doing so for hundreds of thousands of more miles.
This is a very silly and absurd take. Cars devalue from their dealer price, which is justified based on all these useless luxury features that no one is able to avoid by design. Used cars might be cheaper than brand new models, but they are by no means cheap.
Dude the delta between new and used cars right now is virtually nothing. You can get a 2012 tacoma with 200k miles on it for like 28k or a brand new 2023 tacoma for 35k.
New is a better deal just based on the projected mechanical life of the car. Dont need fancy features to sell it
The projected longevity of trucks is actually going back down again, which is why the older ones are holding value. The modern ones are full to the brim with computer/DRM enforced anti-repair measures so that the dealership can profiteer.
Car longevity increased a ton in the last several decades years, and so "something that moves" isn't as central a motivation for new car sales anymore. If they just need something that moves, buyers can find countless used cars that still run and will keep doing so for hundreds of thousands of more miles. It's tough to compete in that space and come away with a worthwhile margin on top of fresh design and manufacturing costs.
So manufacturers, who don't want to scale down sales and production, try to entice buyers with shiny things that aren't available on old models and focus on higher price tiers. And that it coincides with booming tech culture and its fashion/impulse-driven purchase cycles makes it that much easier for them.