That's par for the course for Republicans. Are things too expensive? Let them be shittier so they are cheaper.

Yeah, and the thing is I'd be a lot more receptive to that argument if they were willing to support funding the sort of road and transit infrastructure that actually make cars less dangerous.

Its not misleading. They could cut costs in multiple areas, but specifically chose safety.

I'd have to argue that cars are less safe when there is a giant tablet bolted to the dash and every setting is buried in menus.

Yeah. Right wing positions are wrong enough without the constant, panicky extremification of them that goes on. It’s not really persuasive to anyone when we distort these positions and then crow about how bad they are. It’s all just part of the outrage-engagement complex that is rapidly rotting all our brains.

You're assuming what they're saying is true. Many other countries have those same safety features without their cars costing nearly as much

it's not misleading, it's pointing out the GOPs actual position, which is to reduce costs that the manufacturer can't avoid to save them money. If safety regs are gutted, manufacturers get to keep the prices the same, but make more money. If instead more regulations are put in that necessitate reducing costs in other areas it will just cost the manufacturers money.

Have they considered moving to a place with better public transportation? 

Safety is basically self-certified in the US. What evidence is there that the extra cost is related to safety?

I understand that Republicans are often prohibited by their own belief systems to look at the profit margins of the things they occasionally pretend to want to make affordable, but in the US that's exactly where a lot of the problem lies.