Priced out of driving

I’ve read with particular interest about the rising cost of new cars, the industry-wide push towards luxury, the lifespan of electric cars and Ford’s decision to stop making the Fiesta and other affordable cars.

It goes against Ford’s everyman ethos, from the Model T onwards, and doesn’t bode well for us second-, third- or fourth-hand buyers, who have very little budget and buy a car knowing we will be its last owner.

If the industry keeps going the way it is, many people may well be priced off the road. There are of course many aspects to this, but it seems to me very wrong that car ownership is heading towards being out of reach for those of us with less money who desperately need one.

The UK government seems to have no interest in this issue, nor sadly does the car industry.

All of which got me thinking about how this may be avoided. Surely there’s a need for a pareddown, basic car brand that’s able to keep people on the road by cutting the bloat and costly features with which cars are laden and offering a sparse but safe and reliable car? Like Dacia yet more affordable.

It may not be a particularly attractive prospect to some, but if it were the difference between being on the road or not, I’d do without most non-essential features: air-con, electric windows etc.

Will the industry ever offer such a car? Will any of the makers take up the challenge? Is it even possible with regulations being as they are?

Jonathan Evans

Via email As appealing an idea as this new brand is in the current climate, Dacias are as ‘basic’ as cars can be within EU and UK regulations. Cheaper cars also don’t seem possible, considering the longterm amortisation and economies of scale on which Dacia capitalises – KC