Does anyone have an explanation to what affordability actually is?

[aaaawren]

I created a car with an approximate cost of $73500, which isn't that much more then a 2012 Corvette Z06, yet it had 41 percent affordability as a hypercar in that same year and 0 as a supercar. Now I highly doubt that the game thinks no one who wants a supercar could afford a Z06, so I think I'm getting something wrong here. Any help?

[matlimaraujo]

I think the game calculates affordability based on the demographic budget and on the car's fixed price (both can be found in the "Markets" on "Testing" section). The demographic budget is different for every class. For example, the Super class has a maximum budget of $160000, so any vehicle that has a price above $160000 is not affordable for this class.
This approximate cost is how much you pay to produce the car. It's different from the trade price, which is how much the buyer pays to have the car. Maybe your car's trade price is higher than $160K, which might explain why it doesn't sell on Super.
Hope it helps :)

[aaaawren]

Originally posted by matlimaraujo:

I think the game calculates affordability based on the demographic budget and on the car's fixed price (both can be found in the "Markets" on "Testing" section). The demographic budget is different for every class. For example, the Super class has a maximum budget of $160000, so any vehicle that has a price above $160000 is not affordable for this class.
This approximate cost is how much you pay to produce the car. It's different from the trade price, which is how much the buyer pays to have the car. Maybe your car's trade price is higher than $160K, which might explain why it doesn't sell on Super.
Hope it helps :)

This helps, but doesn't explain why an 82 percent match with 166 percent desirability that is well under the 160k limit isn't selling anything.

[matlimaraujo]

Originally posted by aaaawren:

Originally posted by matlimaraujo:

I think the game calculates affordability based on the demographic budget and on the car's fixed price (both can be found in the "Markets" on "Testing" section). The demographic budget is different for every class. For example, the Super class has a maximum budget of $160000, so any vehicle that has a price above $160000 is not affordable for this class.
This approximate cost is how much you pay to produce the car. It's different from the trade price, which is how much the buyer pays to have the car. Maybe your car's trade price is higher than $160K, which might explain why it doesn't sell on Super.
Hope it helps :)

This helps, but doesn't explain why an 82 percent match with 166 percent desirability that is well under the 160k limit isn't selling anything.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to help in this case, because I have very little knowledge on this numbers' meanings.

[Admiral Obvious]

If you're on 4.1, affordability is based off an arbitrary number the game thinks the car will be valued at (and no, it's not the sandbox cost value). If you're on 4.2, the game expects you to set the price yourself.

[Aumakua]

Also Automation money doesn't = US market money
its a global game created by non US developer, maybe its somewhat tied to the Euro, not sure but don't make a car thinking its US dollars at a US dealership...

guessing you are on the regular beta version and not new 4.2 alpha
I just looked at a 2 seat sports car I have at $54,000 "appx cost" and it has good affordability in every category including hyper and family utility... desirability is 0 in some though. I also know for 4.2 they were talking about making it so a cheaper sports car isn't bought by hyper and super car buyers if the price is too low, they want to pay more...

[aaaawren]

Originally posted by Aumakua:

Also Automation money doesn't = US market money
its a global game created by non US developer, maybe its somewhat tied to the Euro, not sure but don't make a car thinking its US dollars at a US dealership...

guessing you are on the regular beta version and not new 4.2 alpha
I just looked at a 2 seat sports car I have at $54,000 "appx cost" and it has good affordability in every category including hyper and family utility... desirability is 0 in some though. I also know for 4.2 they were talking about making it so a cheaper sports car isn't bought by hyper and super car buyers if the price is too low, they want to pay more...

I'm on the 4.2 alpha, the Z06 was used as a comparison because it just doesn't make sense to have the prices be that wildly different. That last sentence looks like more of a desirability thing and that isn't the problem, although I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what they've done about it.

[Admiral Obvious]

Again, "Aprox Cost" is literally nonsense. The currency in game is valued at 2012 US dollars. Approximate cost uses a very basic (and very inappropriate) formula for low production, or high production cars, and even then it's usually very inaccurate when you look at actual in game production costs.

[Anitmata]

I have noticed that my car can -exactly- match the average price point in a demographic for one nation and still have ~40% affordability. I suspect it's either a mean-vs,-median distinction, or car prices are just screwed up.

It's very hard to get a car down to that price, too, with anything you'd call a feature. If I set my car's price point to the "approximate cost" I'd not going to be selling very many.

"Approximate cost" seems to take engineering time into account - I've managed to cut the prices of my cars by a fair margin just by reducing it. In my (pre-4.2) campaign games I've almost always been able to beat the "approximate cost" through mass production.

I use approximate cost as a yardstick between models in Automation (but not between versions - I've had cars whose prices have almost doubled) but not as a comparison to Real Life or anything else.

[Gracey Face]

Hell I just want to know why a 300+ desirability car with 80+% affordability and 500k a month marketing sells single figure numbers. It genuinely seems like something is just straight glitched.

[Anitmata]

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Hell I just want to know why a 300+ desirability car with 80+% affordability and 500k a month marketing sells single figure numbers. It genuinely seems like something is just straight glitched.

I wholly agree with you.

There's a bunch of stuff in 4.2 that seems off. In the case of the sales model, I am willing to wait until it's finished.

[Admiral Obvious]

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Hell I just want to know why a 300+ desirability car with 80+% affordability and 500k a month marketing sells single figure numbers. It genuinely seems like something is just straight glitched.

Depends on which segment is buying it? That sounds pretty normal for a luxury car to me.

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by Admiral Obvious:

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Hell I just want to know why a 300+ desirability car with 80+% affordability and 500k a month marketing sells single figure numbers. It genuinely seems like something is just straight glitched.

Depends on which segment is buying it? That sounds pretty normal for a luxury car to me.

Sport budget, for the most recent one. But this is just kind of normal.

[Admiral Obvious]

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Originally posted by Admiral Obvious:

Depends on which segment is buying it? That sounds pretty normal for a luxury car to me.

Sport budget, for the most recent one. But this is just kind of normal.

Sport budget is usually a very small market especially if you don't have access to Fruinia or Gasmea.

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by Admiral Obvious:

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Sport budget, for the most recent one. But this is just kind of normal.

Sport budget is usually a very small market especially if you don't have access to Fruinia or Gasmea.

Access to Gasmea at least. I am starting in the country that I think is supposed to be germany (the 90% worker skill one).

[Admiral Obvious]

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Originally posted by Admiral Obvious:

Sport budget is usually a very small market especially if you don't have access to Fruinia or Gasmea.

Access to Gasmea at least. I am starting in the country that I think is supposed to be germany (the 90% worker skill one).

So, you're probably starting with 190 people in the entire market, and then you've got to factor in the dealerships you have and then actual market awareness.