Gabrielle Coppola and Bethany BenjaminJul 2, 2026 – 12.46pmDetroit | Slate Auto, the electric vehicle start-up backed by Jeff Bezos, is a grand experiment in whether austerity sells.Slate recently unveiled its flagship: A barebones, two-seater, battery-powered ute (or truck) starting at just under $US25,000 ($36,000). It is a grey riposte — complete with hand-crank windows — to the spiralling cost of new vehicles, now more than $US51,000 on average in the United States.BloombergSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles