This is not a dream car company scenario. What cars would you make if you were to lead a car company and make a profit? I'd try to exploit the fact that incomes of workers around the world are rising, and make a cheap, yet practical car with a list price of around $3-4k, directed towards emerging markets. It would be a compact minivan/panel van, with other versions (e.g. sedan, 4-dr coupe, crossover) coming later. The costs would be kept low by using low-cost, older technologies (e.g. chassis from something like a Lada Classic, Nissan Sunny, VW Golf Mk1, etc. as a donor) and saving money on fit & finish. However, the styling would be kept very contemporary, and the car itself would have cheap leasing and a hype scheme not unlike iPhones or Xiaomi stuff. And your ideas for making a profitable new carmaker?
I'd probably do commercial vehicles (i.e electricity companies, postal services, construction services, etc.) One of them would be an mail van, inspired by the classic Grumman LLV. It would be an relatively affordable hybrid-based vehicle, with a longer wheelbase and chassis height than the LLV for more mail/cargo space and a bigger engine area. It would have more countries to be used by besides Canada and the US, like Japan, Britain, and Singapore. It would hold an Toyota 2ZR-FXE from the 2016+ Prius, altered to a bit bigger to fit into the bay. Also, it would have an implemented navigator (not state-of-the-art, but not super cheap as well) that does it's job decent and would include Prius technology as well. The styling would be somewhat modern, yet it would look alike to the LLV. The differences besides the lengthier body would be an rounded style of lights (includes LED lights alike to 2017-2018 models from Acura), a longer 3rd brakelight, re-modified bumpers with fog-lights, and only would contain 2 mirrors on both sides of the door, designed alike to modern-day buses. Lastly, it would open differently to the LLV, as it will open to the left like most stock cars currently, but the trunk/back door will open like an pick-up vehicle for a more unique way to insert the mail into the cargo space. Opinions?
start with a well made and capable commercial lineup consisting of heavy duty trucks, medium pickups and vans, a light duty mini truck around the size of the 80's ones , and a full size and mid size suv available as 2 door or 4 door, all on body on frame construction and focusing on adaptability and durability and using a back to basics approach where the base has nothing but the government mandated features and with the benefit of being much cheaper but having good quality. all vehicles would have manuals standard with auto being a 700 dollar option all would have simple squared off styling, slightly smaller size, and would share as much as possible heavy truck would be most like a 4500-6500 truck with only the cab shared with the medium duty truck and if I could get a license I would power it with Cummings engines (6bt or higher- as few electronics as possible) available with 4x4 medium truck would be available from 1500-3500, have 3 cabs ( regular, 2 door extended, crew) with the only difference being the crew has rear doors. there would be 3 bed choices (6ft, 8ft, or a custom upfit) and be powered by a 4.9 I6, 5.0V8 and a 6bt. the I6 and V8 would take design ques from some of the most durable engines in history with OHV,. metal timing gears, large oil passages, and large main bearings with high quality internals available with 4x4 the light minitruck would be avalable from 1000-1500, have a regular or extended cab with ether a 6ft bed or a custom upfit, would be powered by a 2.5 I4, or a 4.0 I6 built to same standards as other engines available with 4x4 both suv's would be on a shortened wheel base for the 2 door, 4 door would have regular cab, short bed frame. Both would have roll down rear windows on the tailgate for better access and load carrying capabilities and the 2 door would feature a removable hard top over the rear like a bronco or blazer but with a standard roll bar and optional soft top standard 4x4 the van wold be your typical van with a cab option for upfits, powered by the 4.9, 5.0 and 6bt. it would have a cargo version, a passenger version and a cab version avalable 4x4 imagine these but slightly more modern( I prefer fords of this era over the chevy's styling) 4500+ medium truck minitruck the suv would look the same as the trucks van after some funds are built up maybe try a car with the same principles
I would aim for the teenage market. Make something cheap and practical and after a year or so, make another cheap rwd car aimed at young enthusiasts (like myself).
I don't know many people in the teenage market who can afford something new and more expensive than a moped or a very basic car.
Scion already did that and failed miserably. Hey, our car is as vivid and youthful as you are! It will fit your lifestyle perfectly! Your friends will love it, too! All that for just $20000! Wait...what do you mean "I'm a college kid I don't have $20000"?
It goes the other way around. Why are so many crossovers on the market? Because most people with money for a new car worked on it long enough to need easier entry.
You would have to make a modern day Yugo for that market since young people these days are flat broke
A Halo car with a V8/V12 in a supercar/coupe body, a small saloon/estate car with engines from i4 to V6 with a special version (Say 500 built) with the V8, two small crossovers based on the saloon car (one with conservative and one with avant garde styling but with everything that isn't the panels or interior the same), an SUV with the i4 to V8 and a large saloon with the V6 to the V12 (Limited numbers of the V12, say 500 a year). I would then establish a sub brand with a small, yet sporty hatchback (Think Renault Twingo and Volkswagen Up), a larger, more grown up hatchback with an estate version (Think Hyundai i40), a budget sports car (Basically the large hatchback but with the drivetrain flipped so RR and a two door body) and possibly a van. I would enter the small saloon in the BTCC and WTCC to raise some publicity and heavily advertise the crossover (I hate them but the customer is always right).
I'd probably attempt to blend economy with some degree of sportiness. By that, I mean an economical car that is still fun to drive. Honda seems to have done well with that with the Civic anyways. I was honestly surprised how it felt to drive a 2014 one (which I ended up buying it instead of something else partly due to how it feels to drive it). Also, a Civic is easy to drive at the limit. If you go slightly too fast around a corner, you'll skid a bit but you don't have to worry about it suddenly losing control and causing a crash.
