On one hand, it’s easy to count how many times Tesla was underrated, expected to fail, seen as a hopeless money pit and wound up delivering. The first Roadster, the Model S, Model 3, Model X…when I first saw a Roadster back in 2010, I was convinced that it was little more than a rich kid’s toy. Look at where the company is now. Love it or hate it, Tesla has made inroads. But then…then there is that very strange, very weird, very “this dude is gonna enslave us all” eccentric billionaire side to Elon Musk that leaves you wondering if we all have made a collective mistake in allowing this man to play with anything that isn’t Play-Doh. This is one of those times.
What you are looking at is the new Cybertruck. Tesla has wanted to run a pickup truck for quite some time, but up until this machine broke cover, many were expecting the Model S Ute of some kind, not the futuristic nightmare of John Z. DeLorean. And before you ask, yes, the truck is skinned in stainless steel, which was bashed on-stage by Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen with a sledgehammer to prove it’s durability. The glass was supposed to be armored too, but when von Holzhausen threw a metal ball at the window and the glass broke, Musk’s reaction (“Oh my f*cking God”) pretty much admitted that part was not in the program.
So, what are the figures? Right now, the claims are typical Tesla: 0-60 MPH in 2.9 seconds, 10.8 second quarter mile times, 500 miles of range at the maximum level. The Cybertruck is to be available with a single motor, a dual motor, or a tri-motor version and while the base level is set to be just under $40,000, we bet that isn’t going to be reality anytime soon, especially if the Model 3’s rollout was any indication. Towing capacity is 14,000 pounds, payload capacity is 3,500 pounds, the bed is a 6.5-foot unit, and the suspension will be adaptive air with adaptive dampers.
So who does the Cybertruck play with? Well, there’s the Rivian line of vehicles in the pipeline, as well as EV trucks from Ford and General Motors. But unlike those vehicles, ordering for the Cybertruck is open right now. You’ll still be waiting until after production starts in 2021, but you can order now.
We still see way too much DeLorean DMC-12 in this thing.
It definitely makes a statement, but I don’t know what statement. To me the thing looks like a low poly model from the SNES era, not something that can compete in the modern market.
Bought windshield wipers yesterday for my Ram 1500…22″. Looks like you might need 36″ers for this 4 wheeled “refrigerator”. That’s if they have even included them. “Fugly” at best.
i can see why it was introduced in the dark like that—good lord,that is one horrid looking vehicle—and am i the only one who’s just about had enough of elon?
Yes… Yes you are.
No you’re not. The guy needs more acid and a rest…
This looks like an April Fool’s joke, although the only things that look like they’d actually be problematic are how the roofline cuts into back seat head room and the expense of stainless steel. But it is odd how Tesla went out of their way to make their original cars NOT look like EVs, but when they come out with a pickup, they go full on 1980s science fiction.
Anyone else thinks it looks mostly like that car in Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky” video?
no tell’ in what a man smokes the thoughts his dreams are his own god get me off this ugly page fast
Looks like they ran out of $$ to hire an automotive designer, so they dropped the rolling chassis off @ the local HVAC shop, and this is what they got back?
Maybe they’re going to call it the Tesla LENNOX?? …..Tesla DUCT??…..doesn’t matter what they call it, it will still be FUGLY.
That’s the “finished” design?!!! I agree with Matt Cramer. It looks like something from a bad ’80s sci fy.
Yet another Tesla that looks like it was designed by an 8 year kid.
Robo cop could have used this…………..FUGLY is being too nice….Telsa will be a footnote in a few more years……..
I think we’re all being trolled. No obvious wipers? Too-heavy, poorly-finished, stainless steel body? High-strength glass? Even the lights on it don’t look up to code. Maybe it’s actually a military version for a Middle Eastern country. Even the Bollinger EV truck looks more serious than this! During this reveal, I was waiting for a punch line. I’m still waiting…
Is this a Mad Max movie reject? Is it the year 2525?
Fugly beyond description
I get the basic needs of an exoskeletal design. I fully expect that future iterations would allow for a less angular external presentation as they progress. Similar development curve as stealth design in aircraft.
I believe I understand the glass problem. The impact force is transmitted to the frame effectively, as noted in the drop tests. Odds are that the frames in the doors aren’t as rigid as the test bench (that they were repeatedly checking).
Honestly? Given a more practical 4’x 8′ bed (extending the rear overhang, perhaps), I’d own one in a heartbeat.
With ZERO interesting body lines….might come into production quicker than we think if it can utilize existing production pieces for the drivetrain…?
I actually feel a little bit sorry for Elon…people are pretty quick to be negative…and busting two unbreakable windows at the BEGINNING of your demo…has to be hard to push on through the rest of it.
I am slightly concerned with the footprint…during the tug of war…and maybe its an optical illusion…it made a current crewcab F150 look like a toy…& those trucks are NOT small…
I don’t expect to see this turd in the Home Depot contractors parking lot. It’s too Fugly Elon.
Come To Think Of It The ” Homer” Didn’t Look Half Bad…
It looks like it has escaped from the set of a cheesy 1970s TV sci-fi series!
It looks like one of the Hero cars from a B Grade Hollywood apocalypse sci-fi movie that they made in the early 80’s that went straight to video …
Well… I’m not a fan of the design so much, and doubt this is the final. But you guys are a pretty tough crowd.
Other than outward appearance, it has some amazing abilities. 14k lbs towing capacity? That’s fantastic, and one more amazing ability… 10.80’s IN THE 1/4? Are you kidding? Not too many people can say they have been in anything that produces that kind of E.T. What is the times for the new Vette, or the Hellcat? Might be close, I’m not sure… but 10.80’s are a BLAST, and it will haul your lumber too, with the tailgate down.
It couldn’t get any uglier
That makes a Pontiac Aztek look good!!!
design of future
lets wait audi, gm, toyota, mb and others with same lines and colors…. lol