New automobiles are available for the same price they’ve always been. For proof I offer the price of the 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, the least expensive new car fo

New automobiles are available for the same price they’ve always been. For proof I offer the price of the 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, the least expensive new car for sale in the US market for almost its entire sales history: $1800. That’s for one with zero options. A rolling chassis with four seats and a motor. That’s $16k today. Coincidentally the same price of the Nissan Versa or Mitsubishi Mirage: with backup camera, air conditioning, and airbags. People don’t WANT the cheap cars, though. I know the average price of a new car has exploded. That is a conscious choice by the consumer. When production of autonomous tech scales it won’t increase costs as much as people assume.