TESLA’S ’CYBERTRUCK’ BREAKS THE MOULD
Price starts at US$39,900 but its polarising design may limit sales
TESLA Inc on Thursday unveiled its electric pickup truck with a futuristic angular body in gunmetal gray that looked like an armoured vehicle, as the California company took aim at the heart of Detroit carmakers’ profits.
With a starting price of US$39,900 (RM166,483), the Cybertruck is less expensive than initially flagged, but its polarising design could limit sales in a segment symbolic of a rugged, practical American lifestyle.
At a launch event here, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said other versions would be priced at US$49,900 and US$69,900 with the most expensive offering a range of more than 800km. Production is expected to begin around late 2021.
“We need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it. The top three selling vehicles in America are pickup trucks. To solve sustainable energy, we have to have a pickup truck,” he said.
The truck’s hulking sharp geometric body was made from stainless steel, set atop massive tires and had windows made from armoured glass.
“It will be a niche product at best and poses no threat in the pickup market as we know it today,” wrote Matt DeLorenzo, senior executive editor at automotive research firm Kelley Blue Book.
Musk claimed the truck’s “ultra-hard” exterior “won’t scratch and dent”. But the armoured glass window cracked like a spider web when hit with a metal ball during a demonstration. Musk appeared surprised although he noted the glass had not completely broken.
The truck marks the first foray by Tesla, whose Model 3 sedan is the world’s top-selling battery ecar, into pickup trucks.