Yeah, it’s clear that outward visibility is a low priority, if one at all.

1986 Chevy Astro. The gauges looked like they were made out of the remnants of a duel between plastic and cardboard, and the passenger footwell had barely enough room for one foot, let alone two.

This.

This.

Why not both. I can see PHEV versions of the Ranger and F150 and BEV version of the Maverick.

You are spot on. And the good news is that California’s “Advanced Clean Car Rules” that go into effect for model year 2026 incentivizes “strong plug-in hybrids.” What’s a strong PHEV? One with 50 miles of electric range and an awesome electric motor strong enough to keep the gasoline engine off in nearly any “punch…

Plug-in hybrid pickup trucks would be golden. Electric most of the time. Gas when you need it. It’s basically the same customer set who chooses to buy diesel today. Sure higher cost upfront and more complicated, but has the specs to get done what needs to get done.

Excellent overview. Much appreciated.

We did that stellar low price lease, parked our old SUV for the most part, and pocketed the cost savings (even with the minimal extra electricity cost and not minimal extra insurance cost). Loved that little 500e; carpooled in an 500 Abarth and it was fun comparing the two back-to-back. The 500e actually handled…

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has entered the chat.

This is a good idea. How about making pillars thinner, hoods lower, windows bigger, etc. to give the driver a chance to see others - especially pedestrians and cyclists. Sure they help in rollovers, but at what cost?

This just in: Chevy updates the 2025 Silverado to make driving enjoyable again and pickups usable again:

Once you are behind the wheel, how bad are the blind spots? Forward visibility looks especially awful.

Looks at the thin pillars. The low beltline. The stellar outward visibility.

3rd: Mercedes

That’s true. Is outward visibility a lost cause? It seems like accident avoidance should be as big as a priority as minimizing the consequences of an accident. Both are important methinks.

This is a great step, but why do I get the feeling that instead of looking at improving outward visibility and adding helpful accident avoidance tech, we will just get the tech?

Yup, and the swappable battery model which is so wildly popular in Taiwan is about to enter the Indian market. Perfect for the two and three-wheeled vehicles so popular there.

Sounds like a plug-in hybrid would be a great solution for customers worried about that sort of thing. Heck, RAM is going to do a PHEV version of its upcoming BEV pickup.

Yup. Our 2o22 Highlander was designed by multiple committees who hated each other. It really shows on both the exterior and interior.