You can also add a growing population, with much of that growth happening in urban areas. 25 years ago, the US population was 279M; today it stands at 342M.  That’s a 22%+ increase, with many metros seeing 30%+ increases.

One, there are already “modular van concepts” in the present. Mercedes, Ford, and Ram vans (here) all come in multiple lengths and heights while GM and Rivian offer multiple lengths. Two, interchangeable body parts are a PITA since they need to be stored, somewhere, when not in use. See removable hardtops for…

Denver’s airport, with its seven runways spread over 54 square miles, sounds similar to what was planned, here.

The rudest thing that I do is use the horn to try and “educate” other, oblivious drivers.

The problem with going “free” was mentioned in the article, “The new spending was part of a push . . . . to crack down on New Yorkers sleeping in the transit system . . .” No fares equals a rolling homeless shelter.

I’m guessing that this started out as a stamping issue and whichever employee was tasked with QC hadn’t been instructed to look for this specific problem (since they didn’t know that they had one).

In some (many?) states, forward-facing blue lights are limited to emergency vehicles. Yes, turquoise is a different shade of blue, as is teal, but it’s still going to be click bait for some cops trying to meet their quota.  A true green would probably have been a better choice.

Photo ops, “doing something, anything”, and “breaking and reinventing” things.

The big challenge with layering (and, presumably, requiring transfers) is the major attraction that s single-seat trip offers. Or, to put it another way, why would anyone want to leave their “autonomous microshuttle” before they reach their destination?!

. . . but not the demand for loading spots/zones . . .

I’m more concerned with the “it can control the audio and climate systems” using voice commands part than I am about the rest.  I may be old, but knobs work(ed) just great for those tasks.

I lived in Colorado for 30+ years and never got pulled over for a DUI.

Fifteen years ago, I had a Scrambler as my DD. Yes it had the Iron Duke, along with a replacement transmission (with a useless 5th gear - no power), sloppy steering, terminal rust, no A/C, rotten weatherstripping, and a limited load capacity (both weight and volume) for an alleged pickup truck. It was memorable, but…

It’s a 33-year-old time capsule. While a 3- 5-year-old, manual Outback would be less fun, for the same money, it would be a far less stressful option and just as functional. As others have noted, this is almost too nice to be a daily driver, and it’s certainly no winter beater, leaving it mostly for just weekend…

This just seems like a useless gimmick, to me. If I’m “climbing” a car/SUV, I’m going to be going for the highest handhold and that would be the roof rails.

Hummer H2 & H3, especially the H2 SUT. Truly pointless vehicles driven mostly by poseurs.

I didn’t lust after it when it was new and I don’t lust after it, now.  That puts it in the “Is it a good price for a daily driver/winter beater?” class, and it would have to be a few grand cheaper, to have any appeal, to me.  ND.

It’s probably a fair price for what it is, but the changes have made the car even more brutish and even less comfortable to drive. “Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.” It’s become the typical Texas car (“Mine’s bigger than yours”), trading finesse for swagger.  ND, for me.

While the size probably targets a specific Asian market, I’d be way more interested in a 3/4 scale (‘70s VW van-size) or 1/2 scale (Honda Fit-size) version.

One, the solution to no “free air” is to go to Home Depot (or a competitor) and buy your own battery-powered 18-volt high-pressure inflator for $80 (probably less on Black Friday). Two, how about giving up on the 9/10 of a cent pricing. It made sense back when gas was less than a quarter. These days, it’s just a…