An EV mini pickup camper or van would've sweet though.

I'm pretty serious though, it's obvious for anyone with more than two brain cells that wagons/estates/familiales are the superior EV platform. Longer wheelbase means extra space for the battery skateboard, lower profile means reduced drag and increased efficiency. It's a fucking no-brainer. Let alone the fact that they are superior vehicles in terms of utility. I have what I'd describe as a wagonette, and it has load more trunk space than most SUVs, and plenty of leg and head room even for full grown adults in the back seat.

The north American car culture is a fucking disease. People think "oh we thought about an EV but what if I want to do a road trip and also haul a load of rocks at the same time" and think that a big chud truck is the only answer. It's unimaginable for these chud dinosaurs to have to charge a car twice in a long day of driving or to just rent a vehicle for the 3 road trips they do a decade.

In contrast, car culture in China is not an integral part of being a masculine beef eating shit face, so consumers see a dirt cheap car that is more than capable of doing 99% of trips, and then for the 1% remaining they get on the goddamn train.

Part of the reason is probably that China has affordable EVs like the BYD Seagull and the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV

Its a few things. The American companies just want to make fucking trucks and SUVs (which are expensive and heavy), there is a lack of charging infrastructure, and because the US is so much more car focused the smaller, lower range, but much cheaper EVs that are becoming quite popular in China are not as useful in the US.

Well, from the perspective of someone who lives in a rural part of the US, lack of infrastructure, the people who drive them tend to make the fact they drive an EV their personality trait, because of point 1 the people who buy them out here are certainly well off.

Also when they inevitably break down, you'd have to go way out of your way to find someone that even can attempt to repair it, unless you really want to learn a lot about being an electrician.

This is being overtly simplistic, but a lot of it is more often logistical than anything else at least out in rural america.

The fundamental myth of capitalism is that if there's a market for something, someone will sell that thing. Turns out the ruling class won't sell you things that they don't want you to have, like efficient, mass-market electric vehicles.

I think the Nissan Versa and Kia Rio are the only sub-$20k new cars left now that the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Fit are discontinued in the US.

What's insane to me is that these cheap compact cars are actually among the worst-selling in the US. The Ram, Silverado and F-150 each sell literally 20 to 30 times better.

Vanishingly few. There are still Nissans and Kias for under $20k.

Imagine if your options when buying an EV were like 20 different massive SUVs that all cost house money, and then like 3 hatchbacks at $30,000, and then a $9000 hatchback that matches the $30,000 ones spec-for-spec. The $9000 hatchback is the only one produced at a profit to its manufacturer.

China could permanently dominate the US car market instantly if it was allowed to compete.

Yes. Their actual EV production is far from profitable. They just fudge the numbers by selling credits.

From a random source a found from searching (referring to Q1 2022):

Tesla’s regulatory carbon credit sales account for over 20% of its profits this quarter.

https://carboncredits.com/tesla-regulatory-carbon-credit-sales-jumps-116/