(01-14-2014, 02:39 PM)geozero Wrote: FROM WIKI: The standard 4-seat open tourer of 1909 cost $850;[32] in 1913, the price dropped to $550 and $440 in 1915. Sales were 69,762 in 1911; 170,211 in 1912; 202,667 in 1913; 308,162 in 1914; and 501,462 in 1915.[27] In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.[27]
By the 1920s, the price had fallen to $260[13] because of increasing efficiencies of assembly line technique and volume.
That means there was a 70% price drop just from efficiencies and overall volume and not economic reasons. By 1929-30 at the beginning of the Depression the price may have fluctuated further. I have read that the Ford Model A made in 1932 purchase price was about $490 yet cost nearly $750 to build. Ford lost $250 per car, production was delayed as the assembly lines were not geared to mass produce this model, and the car was notorious to break down.
I hope that somehow the effects of the depression, wars and other factors affect the playability. There may be times when you should not be able to just build thousands of cars and sell them all... the effects of supply/demand should affect play.
Ive seen that kind of drop in production cost before, but only by producing an existing model for an extended amount of time.
This is because the game reduces the production cost of vehicles depending on how many are produced.
For example, a vehicle ive posted about in the highest sales thread, a compact car, cost about ~100 to produce by 1910. That was after 500-600k units were produced.
So i don't expect vehicles designed in 1912 to be immediately as cheap to produce as the model T.
That said, ive also noticed that designing vehicles right at the start of the game results in cheaper vehicles than at any other time in that decade (1900's)
I also agree with Eric that you could hit Model T numbers as a player at the moment.