Electric vehicles were supposed to make cars more affordable. So why does the average EV now cost well over $50,000?

Enter Slate Auto, a brand-new American startup that's taking a completely different approach. Their first vehicle is a bare-bones, highly customizable electric pickup that starts at just $24,950. No giant touchscreen. No built-in stereo. Even crank windows are back.

But is Slate Auto really the future of affordable transportation...or just another EV startup that's destined to end up like Fisker?

In this episode, The Car Chick® breaks down everything you need to know about Slate Auto, how its unique "Blank Slate" concept works, and—most importantly—the tough questions every potential buyer should be asking before putting down a deposit.

In this episode:

• Why new cars and EVs have become so expensive
• The story behind Slate Auto and its founders
• How the Blank Slate platform works
• Service, maintenance, and Right to Repair
• Warranty coverage
• Could Slate become the next Fisker...or the next success story?

Whether you're excited about affordable EVs or just curious what all the buzz is about, this episode goes beyond the marketing hype to answer the questions nobody else seems to be asking.

Resources & Links:

🚗 Slate Auto: https://www.slate.auto/

Connect with The Car Chick

Website: https://www.TheCarChick.com

You can view a full list of resources and episode transcripts here.

Connect with LeeAnn:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

Work with LeeAnn:

• Course: The No BS Guide to Buying a Car
• Car Buying Service

Copyright ©2024 Women’s Automotive Solutions Inc., dba The Car Chick. All rights reserved.

Think hidden fees, fake discounts, rebate games, mandatory add-ons, and vehicles advertised at prices you can't actually get are just part of buying a car?

The FTC doesn't think so.

In this episode, The Car Chick® breaks down the six dealership advertising and pricing practices the FTC says may violate federal consumer protection laws. But before we get into the legal stuff, I share a real-life dealership fiasco that happened while shopping for a military family's Ford Transit van — a deal that took three days to put together before it completely blew up over a discount that apparently didn't apply.

We'll cover:

• The six pricing and advertising practices the FTC is targeting
• Hidden fees, fake discounts, rebate stacking, and financing games
• Why dealer add-on packages may be the next battleground
• What the FTC Act actually says
• Why the CARS Rule was overturned
• Why the FTC isn't handing out $53,088 fines left and right
• How dealership pricing transparency is improving — and where the bullshittery has migrated
• What consumers should look for before signing on the dotted line

5 Things to Watch for When Car Shopping Right Now

• Get an out-the-door quote in writing.
• Do your homework on rebates, financing requirements, and add-ons.
• Verify the vehicle is actually available.
• Don't assume "transparent pricing" means "best price."
• If a deal looks dramatically better than every other similar vehicle, get suspicious before you get excited.

Resources

FTC Consumer Complaint Center:
https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

Stay Connected

Sign up for The Straight Shift newsletter and get consumer-focused automotive news, car buying tips, and industry updates delivered straight to your inbox:

www.TheCarChick.com

You can view a full list of resources and episode transcripts here.

Connect with LeeAnn:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

Work with LeeAnn:

• Course: The No BS Guide to Buying a Car
• Car Buying Service

Copyright ©2024 Women’s Automotive Solutions Inc., dba The Car Chick. All rights reserved.

Summary
After a three-month hiatus, The Car Chick® is back — and apparently while she was gone, the global economy decided to completely lose its damn mind.

In this comeback episode of The Straight Shift, The Car Chick breaks down how conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, rising oil prices, tariffs, petrochemicals, EVs, and global supply-chain chaos are affecting far more than just what you pay at the gas pump.

Because modern cars aren’t just vehicles anymore — they’re giant rolling international group projects held together with wiring, software, synthetic rubber, plastics, petrochemicals, and a concerning amount of global instability.

This Episode Covers

• why gas prices jumped nearly 60% in less than 3 months
• what the Strait of Hormuz actually is
• why your car is literally made from oil
• why repair bills and insurance rates keep climbing
• why EVs aren’t immune from global manufacturing chaos
• bamboo dashboards, recycled fishing nets, and sustainable car materials
• why everything in the modern economy is more interconnected than most people realize

Also: there’s Yoda, there’s automotive bullshittery, and there’s a challenge to start looking at the bigger picture.

Subscribe to The Straight Shift Newsletter at https://www.thecarchick.com for automotive market trends, pricing analysis, tariff updates, car care tips, and consumer-focused advice that translates industry chaos into plain English.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
• Yoda
• BMW
• Ford
• Volvo
• Mercedes-Benz
• Hyundai
• Kia
• Mark Rober
• TeamSeas

You can view a full list of resources and episode transcripts here.

Connect with LeeAnn:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

Work with LeeAnn:

• Course: The No BS Guide to Buying a Car
• Car Buying Service

Copyright ©2024 Women’s Automotive Solutions Inc., dba The Car Chick. All rights reserved.