Tesla Cybertruck Debuts – And It’s Not What We Were Expecting

The Tesla Cybertruck made its official debut during a special event in California last night and it’s safe to say that the vehicle is not at all what some were expecting – especially with regards to the exterior styling.

While Elon Musk has alluded to the so-called Cybertruck’s sci-fi inspired styling in the past, we’re a bit surprised to see just how far Tesla went with the spaceship-like design. The triangular shaped body is made of a steel alloy that Tesla says is dent resistant, scratch resistant and even bulletproof against 9-mm ammunition. The vehicle glass is also quite strong, though when one employee went to prove its strength by striking the side windows with an object during the presentation, the glass shattered.

The truck also comes with a four-door body and an industry-standard 6.5-foot bed.

As for the powertrain, the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model will start at $39,900, have a towing capacity of about 7,500 pounds and a range of about 250 miles. It will also accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in roughly 6.5 seconds. The mid-level version, starting at $49,900, will have dual-motor AWD, a 10,000-pound towing capacity and about 300 miles of range. Meanwhile, the tri-motor range-topping model will have a 14,000-pound towing capacity, a range of more than 500 miles and will hustle from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. The tri-motor version will also run the quarter-mile in about 10.8 seconds. It will cost $69,900.

Customers can already put down a $100 deposit to reserve the Tesla Cybertruck. They will be able to complete their desired vehicle configuration online sometime next year, with production of the regular model to start in late 2021 and the tri-motor version arriving in late 2022.

Yesterday, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the automaker’s new production electric pickup truck would go on sale by the fall of 2021, so GM’s offering and the Cybertruck should hit the market at around the same time. Will it be able to deliver the kind of numbers Tesla is claiming for the Cybertruck? We’re not sure, but it will be exciting to see how this new segment evolves in the next few years.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

Sam McEachern

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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  • So just a guess, but I suppose the stainless steel used for the body panels is the reason that there is zero styling effort put into this truck?

    I am not against an electric truck and even like the tri-motor variant and its statistics. I am one who likes his truck to look like a truck (or car to look like a car). I don't need it to look "electric" or different.

    • Stainless body is thick and the reason it can withstand a 9mm bullet is it's a unibody truck, no ladder frame to pull 14000 lbs. It must be cheaper for Tesla to MFG given they only make unibody vehicles????? My guess on the stainless is if you are going to put that much steel in a vehicle, might as well be corrosion proof. As far as 0-60 is concerned, ludicrous mode is essentially eletric NOS. For 28k before incentives, I can get a 2wd GMC and nos it to get 500hp, 0-60 is sub 6 seconds. Shame NOS ain't street legal in Kentucky.

  • If this isn't a complete joke, it's a publicity stunt that he will take to market in limited numbers and then likely have a real truck body to drop on the platform

  • I have seen better efforts in low budget Sci Fi movies.

    Being different is fine if it makes it better. I see no up benefit here.

  • 6000 SUX pick-up.....

    The design is controversial but some innovative features. It still have it's issue with steady-state cruising while pulling a load (TFL Model X Ike Gauntlet test aka range) but a good start although.

  • I think the Final Production Model will be more refined obviously. Like those Headlights are not Street Legal.
    They will need to add side Mirrors and other minor fixes.
    Motor Trend said the Final Production will have a lot more Storage all throughout the vehicle.
    Having said that, it is pretty much exactly what I thought the Front would look like.
    Elon basically told us it will be a Blade Runner Truck. The sides of the Truck are cool as well.
    The rear of the Truck though is Awful. More work needs to be done to the Rear of this ASAP.
    The interior looks to be huge and cavernous inside.
    The Stainless steal they are going to use is straight from SpaceX Tech. Also Elon said this truck will eventually go to Mars.
    Someone is obliviously getting an earful on that Tesla Glass fiasco. It is basically the same they use on the Semi Truck. The strength of the Body and Glass are Game changers for the Truck Market.
    Now onto the Specs....
    This Truck starts at $39,000 which is completely insane and bonkers. Fully loaded it will be $77,000 which includes Full Autonomous Driving.
    The Speed is also completely insane. The Zero to Sixty is C8 level fast. Beats the 911. Just Insane.
    Ground Clearance is great. Approach and Departure angles are great as well.
    Early reports this morning is that Tesla has already received well over 200,000 Pre-Orders. Twitter was full of people posting their Pre-Orders after the event.
    This Truck (besides the Rear End which is awful in my humble opinion) is a Game Changer.
    I will be pleasantly Surprised if the Base Ford F-150 EV or Chevy Silverado EV Truck can be had at $39,000.
    Tesla got very bold with the design but it was the Specs I was waiting for and they simply nailed it.

    • Good thing it is fast. That way we will not have to look at it very long.

      Do we really need a truck that does 2 second 0-60 times for a limited number of runs?

      Get it to charge in 5 min and cost $40K and you will satisfy more customers.

      They will never get this out the door below $60K with the things people want and need.

    • good thing you are a battery half-fully charged kind of guy.

      but there is nothing here that can't be fixed by a stint at rehab.

    • Ford, with a base truck price will be 28k+1000$ battery pack, so it will be a better truck for cheaper. GM will make you buy a high country or Denali trim for the EV. Still a better performance deal than the Cyber truck.

      • @Jacob
        I will be completely floored and Super Excited if Ford or especially GM offers an EV Full Size Truck at or below the $39,000 Cybertruck.

  • I guess I wasn't paying attention when Elon was off on a tangent...so I was a little taken aback by this truck's styling.

    Robo-cop called from 1985 and wants his truck back...

    • I noticed that as well. They started out down a nice cliff this morning.
      At the same time, Ford and GM were on the way up.

  • It's jarring, but since they have two years to produce and sell it, let's see what is altered. My biggest issue with Tesla is the interior, one large screen for everything. I prefer some buttons... Also, variety is the spice of life here, glad it's different.

  • I wonder if it blows up he will come with a new design like the rockets.

    I would like to know what the guys training for future flights are thinking with the explosions and now this?

    • @C8.R
      Well if reports are true that over 200,000 People have placed a Pre-Order I am sure he is fine with the Reaction of the masses I would say.

      • Ya right!

        And 200.000 daily fall for the Nigerian phone calls about their grand kids being in trouble and need money sent ASAP.

        If it is even true many will move on before they ever see delivery in a realistic 4 years.

        Even with a Chevy emblem on the nose this would still be a what the hell were they thinking design.

      • What % of the model 3 preorders turned into deliveries? I haven't seen any numbers but one would think it'd be similar for the truck

          • @Steve
            US sales of the Model 3 will most likely be down this Quarter as Tesla cannot keep up with European demand and China too. I would say once the Shanghai Factory is up and running and Tesla can split the Fremont factory strictly to US and Europe that the US sales would go up. Or maybe not as the Model Y will be in production by the start of the of the First QT.
            Either way Tesla will be building plenty of cars. Hence the announcement of the European Gigafactory as well. Tesla is doing great with their Car Division. If their Energy and Solar Division start cranking as well then who knows how big of a Company they can become in the Future.

          • come on now ... why would tesla be shipping more than just a handful of cars from california to china when they'll be building them there shortly without the tariff hit?

          • @Steve
            Because the World cannot get enough Tesla vehicles and Tesla will supply them just like any other Auto Maker would be doing as well. Tesla is not going to Stop selling Cars in China as they wait for the Gigafactory. That would make absolutely zero sense.

        • Nearly 63,000 + pre orders were canceled before the first one rolled out of the factory based on Tesla's numbers. Could have been more depending on who is counting.

          • $100 deposit is what their website said. And, it's non-binding (fully refundable). You don't think the C8 could get 325k "pre-orders" if it started at $39,900, the deposit was fully refundable, and production didn't start for 2 years?? Hell, I know two dozen guys who would do it just to be able to say (for two years) "Oh, yeah, I got my deposit down on the new one...I'm at the top of the list!"

          • FYI to all you Musky fanatics: the MORON druggie is commiting stock FRAUD by publically tweeting out unverified amounts of "depositers" for this piece of trash. He can "invent" ANY number to get the stock UP. FRAUD Einstein's!! The SEC will be all over him AGAIN fining the crap outta him. This punk makes uo his own rules no matter how it impacts people. Time to teach this egomaniac some RESPECT for others. BTW, Google the latest on how his aggressive, my way or the highway, Satellite Program is ruining centuries of Astronomy Protocol. Because he doesn't care or do cause & effect research on his ambitious plans........

    • OMG... Where are we going to get all the electricity to power these things. Fire up the coal plants. OMG... If people don't start buying more on the east coast we could end up with too many in California and that state may fall into the ocean with all the extra weight of batteries and stuff.

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