They're cool but no "workhorse". (I guess I'm channelling my proletariot roots — I want a "people's car".)

That would be a Chevy Bolt. Small but not unusably tiny, hatchback utility, good specs, inexpensive.

For anyone good with a two-seater, it seems like a people's car to me. Plenty of space for groceries, starts at $25K, exceptionally easy and cheap to charge at home, and committed to "right-to-repair," publishing all their manuals and selling the parts to anyone. It could be the modern equivalent of the original VW Bug.

Isn't $25k way too much for it to be a "people's car"?

If they can sell profitably at $25k they're ahead of the rest of the pack, and EV component prices are coming down every year.

Looking at the original prices and adjusting for inflation it looks like the Fiat 500 and the 2CV were about $10000, and the Type 1 Beetle was around $15000. So $25k does seem rather high for a people’s car.

I’m not sure the prices I found (450k lira, 350k francs, and 4000 marks) are all correct though.

Take gasoline savings into account and it gets closer (see my sibling comment to yours).

The cheapest new car in 2023 is the Nissan Versa for $15,730, but most of the ten cheapest cars are around $20K. [1]

The Versa gets 32mpg. The Aptera is the same basic design as their original diesel model which got 300mpg, and it's electric. It'll be way cheaper to run, it won't require as much maintenance, and you'll be able to do your own repairs.

The current US average gasoline price is $3.42/gal. [2] If you drive 32 miles per day, that's $104/month in gasoline with the Versa. Using LendingTree's calculator for a 60-month loan, $104/mo is worth a $5900 difference in purchase price, and that doesn't count maintenance savings. [3]

So yeah, by modern new-car standards I think it's about as close to a people's car as you can get. And batteries keep getting cheaper.

[1] https://www.hotcars.com/cheapest-new-cars-for-2023/#2023-nis...

[2] https://www.finder.com/gas-prices

[3] https://www.lendingtree.com/auto/calculators/payment/

The cheapest new car in 2023 is the Nissan Versa for $15,730, but most of the ten cheapest cars are around $20K. [1]

The Versa gets 32mpg. The Aptera is the same basic design as their original diesel model which got 300mpg, and it's electric. It'll be way cheaper to run, it won't require as much maintenance, and you'll be able to do your own repairs.

The current US average gasoline price is $3.42/gal. [2] If you drive 32 miles per day, that's $104/month in gasoline with the Versa. Using LendingTree's calculator for a 60-month loan, $104/mo is worth a $5900 difference in purchase price, and that doesn't count maintenance savings. [3]

So yeah, by modern new-car standards I think it's about as close to a people's car as you can get. And batteries keep getting cheaper.

[1] https://www.hotcars.com/cheapest-new-cars-for-2023/#2023-nis...

[2] https://www.finder.com/gas-prices

[3] https://www.lendingtree.com/auto/calculators/payment/

Funny how the people insisting on the "workhorse" thing in practice just take it on a clogged highway to go to work or to some fast-food drive through :)

The canonical example of automotive vaporware. All promises, no deliveries.