Inflation plus the government add ons


NHTSA/EPA compliance costs (2024 GAO report): $3,000-$5,000 for safety + $2,000-$4,000 for emissions/fuel economy, totaling ~10-18% on a $48K car.

Americans are used to every year the new model being “bigger, better, more powerful”. That will cost more.
The above reasons all are rational as well.

Now, how long is the time from design (ideas) to rolling off the line? We get a new model every year - what’s it take, a year?

Not even close. One of my high school classmates got an engineering degree from the University of Illinois(many years ago). His job was with their engine development vision. This is 2025. The engines they are prototyping and testing today are for the cars and trucks of 2030. So that means they are also testing other engines for ‘26, ‘27, ‘28 and ‘29. The 2026 is pretty well done. Still some bugs in the others with options if the emission laws change between now and then.
At the same time all of that is going on other departments are designing interiors, bodies, features, options.
Then, each year they need to produce MOST of their production by maybe August? Cars/trucks need to stop rolling off the line so they can SHUT IT DOWN - Yes, turn it off so they have enough time to change tools, machines, colors, details so they can START producing the next year models so they get to the show rooms for the first of the year.
How big a job is this? For how many different models? Tested cars, proven trouble free, ready to sell? It is an INCREDIBLE job. Juggling all this, everything in the pipe line for the next five, six, seven years?
Estimating how many they will sell this year? Next year? At what price?

It is incredibly hard for us to begin to imagine how complex it is to pull this off. It is a BIG BIG job.

Someone else can speculate on production numbers for each model. Tens of thousands in 9 months. Certainly more for some models. The web knows - someone give us a few numbers and models.