I don't know what your definition of "cheap" is, but a brand new Kia Rio is $17k base. That would be approximately $4.5k in 1980, or just a bit higher than a ba

I don't know what your definition of "cheap" is, but a brand new Kia Rio is $17k base. That would be approximately $4.5k in 1980, or just a bit higher than a base Pinto. The problem with "simple" is that everyone uses a different definition and there's a dramatic asymmetry in how people treat missing vs extraneous features. You probably won't reject a vehicle for having Bluetooth, but many people won't buy a car without it for example. A simple car also won't convert someone who wants a truck, nor will it convert the person who wants to fix it in his garage with only a wrench set because it still has to comply with safety and efficiency regs that require electronics. Another issue is that you're not actually paying the full development cost of your vehicle. Development costs are amortized over multiple trims, models, platforms, and even manufacturers. It's likely that a "simpler" vehicle would wind up costing more due to more custom development and fewer economies of scale.