Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tesla’s electric ‘Cybertruck’ aims at pickup market
unveiled its longawaited pickup on Thursday, a futuristic “Cybertruck,” at a sci-fi-style event with gimmicks and a cheering crowd in Hawthorne, Calif.
Not everything went to plan.
After a
introduction, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk had Tesla’s long time chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, smash the truck’s angular stainless-steel exterior with a sledgehammer, showing that it did not dent.
But it was the second demonstration, of “Tesla armor glass,” that was the real showstopper: Holzhausen hurled a softball-sized metal ball at the driver’s side window to demonstrate the strength of the glass. It shattered.
“Oh my … God,” Musk said, uttering an expletive. “Maybe that was a little too hard.”
They tried it a second time on the left passenger window, which spider-cracked again.
It was an awkward, offscript moment in an already over-the-top spectacle, aimed at generating hype for a product that seemed like a real-life manifestation of something in the vein of a Batmobile.
Investors apparently didn’t like the stunts or the truck’s futuristic design, which is aimed at getting a foothold in the most profitable part of the U.S. auto market. Tesla shares fell 6% Friday.
The new truck marks the electric automaker’s initial foray into a lucrative market dominated by America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-series truck. It’s an ambi-
tious push for the Silicon Valley firm and its CEO, who are hoping to mobilize the same consumers who flock to heavyduty, 4x4 work vehicles around a futuristic electric truck — and expand the humble pickup’s appeal in the process.
The company had long hinted the Cybertruck would not look like a conventional Lshaped pickup.
The body featured an allstainless steel “exoskeleton,” sharp angles all over and a
swooping windshield extended over a six-seat cabin.
The truck is unlike any conventional pickup available, Musk said, with an aircraft-inspired design that made it tougher than existing offerings on the market.
“You want a truck that’s really tough,” he said. “Not fake tough.”
He also cued up a video of a Ford F-150 vs. Cybertruck tug of war, with the Tesla easily dragging the traditional truck away with squealing tires. “It was uphill,” he joked. The company said it could go from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds.
Tesla said the models would be able to drive in ranges from 250, 300 and 500 miles. Prices would range from $39,900 for the 250-mile range single-motor version, $49,900 for the 300-mile dual-motor version and $69,900 for the 500 mile tri-motor version. Production is set to begin in late 2021, the company said.
“You can order now if you would like,” Musk said. Tesla was charging $100 for preorders of the new vehicle on its website.
Some reported problems making reservations for the car as the site was swarmed.
Throughout the demonstration, Tesla aimed to prove an electric truck could be as strong — or stronger — than traditional pickups. Musk also highlighted the substantial savings by negating the need to traditionally refuel. Musk touted the vehicle’s high ground clearance, adjustable suspension and towing capacity of up to 14,000 pounds — 7,500 on the base model. The truck has a payload of 3,500 pounds, Tesla said.
Analysts said Tesla doesn’t necessarily have to tap the traditional pickup market to make the truck a sales success. A market trend analysis from Cox Automotive showed the pickup segment is growing along with SUVs while sedan sales have fallen over the past decade. Over the past decade, pickups grew to 17% of new vehicle sales, compared with 14% in 2009.
And automakers benefit from the fact that pickup buyers have few options to choose from, putting them among their best sellers.
“Trucks are experiencing a transformation similar to what happened with SUVs, attracting new buyers who rarely use the utility but appreciate the space and creature comforts trucks offer,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds, in a statement. “The truck segment has the fewest number of models, leaving plenty of room for growth and for automakers to carve out new niches.”
Regarding the design, she added: “If the Tesla truck wasn’t somewhat polarizing, it wouldn’t be a Tesla.”
And polarizing it was. The
Cybertruck instantly became an online meme after the presentation. The design elicited a mixture of awe and scorn, and very little in between. To one faction, it looked like it had been designed on Microsoft Paint or an old-school video game. To another, it was a revelation, a raw demonstration of the utilitarian needs of a sustainable future.
In the reactions, many described it as: “post apocalyptic.”