Watching for mass-market cheap EVs amid robotaxi talk, skunkworks and the Osborne Effect

The lack of affordable electric vehicles is widely considered a barrier to seeing BEV mass-market adoption. Amid signs of slowing growth in the premium EV market and profitability pressures, the industry focus has turned back to whether automakers will successfully flip the switch from high-end models to mass-market volume. The sale of a $25,000 economy electric car on a large scale is seen by some as the EV industry’s Holy Grail.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) may have the Model 2 out next year to address the cheap EV dilemma, but that was one of the notable missing topics from the company’s robotaxi event last Thursday night. “My sense is that the car is still on the roadmap for some time late in 2025, but the company decided not to discuss it, as it would have triggered the Osborne Effect, causing Model 3 buyers to hold off,” highlighted Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster. The Osborne effect referenced by Munster is a social phenomenon where the premature announcement of a future product negatively impacts the sales of a company’s current product. On the robotaxi front, Tesla (TSLA) is aiming for a CyberCab introduction by 2027 at a $30,000 price point.

For its part, General Motors (NYSE:GM) claimed recently that the new Chevrolet Bolt will be the most affordable vehicle on the market. While the details and visuals were withheld from a recent GM presentation, executives said the new all-electric EV will have the latest technology and be a moneymaker for the company.

Detroit auto giant Ford (NYSE:F) has a skunkworks team working out of Long Beach, California to design new cheaper vehicles, including all-electric models. The company has reset its broad strategy to focus on small and cheaper EV models, and a higher mix of hybrids.

Stellantis N.N. (STLA) continues to tease that it will launch a $25,000 electric Jeep soon. The EV is anticipated to take on the Jeep Renegade brand and be one of at least three new Jeeps on sale in the U.S. by 2027

All-electric vehicles that currently have starting prices below $40,000 include the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY) Leaf, Hyundai Kona Electric, Chevrolet Bolt, and Mini Cooper SE Hardtop. All-electric vehicles that have starting prices just over $40,000 include the Kia Niro EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Hyundai Inoiq 5, Volkswagen ID.4, Nissan Ariya, and Tesla Model 3.

Rivian Automotive (RIVN) and Lucid Group (LCID) are not aiming at the sub-$30,000 EV market. Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicle makers such as BYD Company (OTCPK:BYDDF), NIO (NIO), Li Auto (LI) and XPeng (XPEV) have had success at lower price points in China, but face harrowing tariff battles in their expansion plans for Europe and the U.S.