Hey, Scotty,
Now that you're rich, why don't you design and build a car? How about something without GDI and turbochargers? Maybe an electric more like the EV-1 than a Tesla? Why do we need to use more computing power than the Apollo Program just to change the direction of the air coming from the vents? I would gladly trade all of the expensive and complicated tech for reliable and easy to maintain transportation. So, give me the option of spending my money on a reliable Kilmer rather than on a Tesla.
You are grieviously underestimating the amount of money and work it would take to do anything like that. It is beyond the means of a mere millionaire.
Have you ever designed a car from the ground up? I have.
Let me tell you....it is a LOT of work. And when I build a custom one-off car, the price tag reflects it. And I'm only building one singular vehicle. To build an all-new platform that meets all the criteria to be a mass produced vehicle, and that meets all safety standards and other rules.....you would be surprised how little money a million dollars is in that arena.
It cost Studebaker nearly $6 million (about $27 million in today's money) to design and tool the 1959 Lark, and that was literally a quick hatchet job making a "compact" car by using the center section of the previous year's full-size model and cutting off the front and rear overhangs. No new chassis, no new engines, not even many new body panels, and virtually no regulations to meet.
That was over 60 years ago. Costs today are truly astronomical. A million dollars isn't even chump change in the auto manufacturing business.
Yeah it really is incredible. I can't imagine the costs and red tape involved today to even begin making a mass-produced car, even a basic one using existing technology that isn't cutting edge. There is a reason you don't see new manufacturers entering the market, and cash is definitely part of that.
It requires more than the wealth of one man
Scotty is happy with his current gig.
Designing and building a car requires lots of expertise research and development. Plus, the restrictions for a car have never been any better these days. It also relates to consumer buying because there quite a handful amount of people who want to see a lot of technology on a car.
Hey Gabespawpaw - Your question reminded me of why I never want to buy any vehicle made after 2006.
