{"id":24796,"date":"2020-02-14T18:04:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T22:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24796"},"modified":"2020-02-14T18:04:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T22:04:57","slug":"where-in-the-world-are-detroits-entry-level-vehicles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/where-in-the-world-are-detroits-entry-level-vehicles","title":{"rendered":"Where in the world are Detroit’s entry-level vehicles?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n<\/div>

The Chevrolet Spark, which starts at $14,095 including delivery fees, is one of only two vehicles from Detroit automakers that retails for under $20,000.\u00a0(Photo: AP)<\/span><\/p>\n

Since its development of the Model T in 1908, Ford Motor Co. has been synonymous with building affordable, entry-level vehicles for the working class. By 1924 the price of a Model T Runabout had fallen to just $260 \u2014 the equivalent of about $3,900 in today’s dollars.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to 2020, and Ford does not offer a single vehicle for less than $20,000 when delivery fees are included. And Ford is not alone. As Detroit automakers increasingly abandon\u00a0affordable sedans for\u00a0higher-priced SUVs, Asian carmakers are only too happy to pick up those entry-level sales and possibly gain loyal customers for life.<\/p>\n

Since Ford ended production of its entry-level Fiesta and Focus cars last year, the most affordable vehicle in the automaker’s lineup is the $21,090 Ford Ecosport SUV ($19,995 MSRP plus $1,095 delivery fee).<\/p>\n

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles\u00a0has\u00a0seven brands in the United States. Since it discontinued U.S. sales of the Fiat 500\u00a0for 2020 and axed the Dodge Dart in 2016 \u2014 both slow-sellers \u2014 not a single\u00a0vehicle in the automaker’s lineup is priced under $20,000.<\/p>\n

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Among Detroit brands, only Chevrolet\u00a0\u2014 traditionally the value nameplate at General Motors Co. \u2014 still offers vehicles below that $20,000 price-point:\u00a0the\u00a0subcompact Sonic at $17,595\u00a0and the wee Spark at $14,095, both with delivery fees included.<\/p>\n

The entry-level\u00a0market is now dominated by Asian makers like Hyundai. The Korean automaker’s new subcompact Venue SUV \u2014\u00a0loaded with features\u00a0like automatic collision-braking and remote smartphone-app connectivity \u2014 starts at $17,350. That’s about $3,700 less than Ford\u2019s similarly sized EcoSport.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur young customers want SUVs, and we have the most affordable SUV on the market,\u201d Mike O’Brien, Hyundai’s vice president of product development, said at the Venue\u2019s media launch in Miami this winter. \u201cWe feel the entry-level market is key to bringing new customers into the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kia (the $18,610\u00a0Soul) and Nissan ($19,965 Kicks) are the only other manufacturers to offer sub-$20,000 SUVs.<\/p>\n

If consumers still\u00a0find the SUVs too steep, there are always Asian cars like the $15,655 Nissan Versa, $16,250 Hyundai Accent, $16,605 Toyota Yaris, $16,815 Kia Rio, $17,145 Honda Fit\u00a0and $18,855 Kia Forte.<\/p>\n

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