Scotty Kilmer wants Detroit to remember the affordable car
His EV-sales commentary draws an unusually busy response, with viewers bringing the conversation back to reliability and everyday running costs.
Why this story? The video drew 677 comments in its first day, 5.6 times a normal first day on this channel (121).
Why Nobody’s Buying EVs Anymore (And Detroit Is Losing Too)
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:00Kilmer reports falling US EV sales alongside growing hybrid sales, establishing the US focus behind the title.
- 0:27He discusses Volkswagen's Tennessee ID.4 production halt, weak sales and battery-fire recalls.
- 2:15He explains the battery issue and criticizes the temporary recommendation to limit charging.
- 4:00Kilmer argues American automakers prioritized expensive trucks, SUVs and EVs over affordable, fuel-efficient cars.
- 6:41He says the Mustang GT manual's fuel mileage matches its 2009 counterpart despite increased horsepower.
Scotty Kilmer has a pointed comparison for anyone impressed by a car's horsepower: he says a modern Mustang GT manual gets the same gas mileage as its 2009 counterpart. More power, in his telling, hasn't answered the everyday driver's biggest question: what will this cost to run?
That argument runs through "Why Nobody's Buying EVs Anymore (And Detroit Is Losing Too)," which drew more than five times his usual first-day comments. Its viewing audience was ordinary for the channel; the amount people had to say was not.
Kilmer opens with reported declines in US electric-vehicle sales alongside growth in hybrids. He then discusses Volkswagen's Tennessee ID.4 production halt and battery recalls, criticizing the temporary charging restrictions he describes. From there, he broadens his complaint: American manufacturers, he argues, have put too much emphasis on expensive trucks, SUVs and EVs instead of affordable, fuel-efficient transportation.
The comments give that argument a recognizable shopping-list quality. Viewers ask for a dependable car at a fair price, recall basic Honda Civics and describe keeping costs down with gasoline-powered Corollas. Others question whether the video's sweeping EV title fits markets outside the United States.
For Kilmer, the Mustang comparison brings the discussion back from industry market share to the fuel pump. His complaint isn't that cars haven't become more powerful. It's that the extra power isn't the improvement every buyer needs.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
😂 I don't want a race car, I just want a Quality car at a fair price, "is that to much to ask" 😂 ???
@billarrooSee it on YouTubeI went base model ice Corolla and that car has removed very little money from my wallet in 2 and 1/2 years. If not spending money is your goal, that is the car to own.
@patrickchubey3127See it on YouTubeHey honda remember a 90's civic base model. Cheep and reliable
@eddie8765See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
- Channel
- Scotty Kilmer
- Subscribers
- 6,660,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 2,111,881
- Channel views, pace per day
- 119,435 (on a normal day: 382,468)
- Video published
- October 13, 2026
- Video views so far
- 109,969 (2 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 79,634
The numbers
The standout here is the conversation: first-day comments rose far beyond Kilmer's usual level, while views were not unusual.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which automaker makes the Mustang discussed by Kilmer?
The Mustang is a Ford model, first introduced in 1964.



