Elon Musk’s Cybertruck Debuts At $61,000. Can Tesla Meet The Demand?
With the launch of the Tesla Cybertruck on Thursday, the world’s most polarizing entrepreneur gave the public one more reason to love or hate him: a stainless-steel battering ram of a vehicle with an angular and menacing physique certain to bring a hint of the Thunderdome to Costco parking lots near you.
At a launch event in Austin, Tesla CEO Elon Musk began delivering the futuristic electric vehicles to the first of thousands of buyers who have patiently waited through years of delays. Driving himself into a darkened auditorium full of fans, Musk emerged from the truck, climbed onto its bed and declared the vehicle “the most unique thing on the road.”
“Finally, the future will look like the future,” he said.
His presentation was full of stunts — including a video of a gunman shooting bullets at the truck’s door, to show how tough it was — but short on details about how quickly Tesla will be able to deliver the vehicles off the assembly line. Musk last month warned investors that ramping up production will be “extremely difficult” given the truck’s unique materials and design. He estimated the company could reach output of 250,000 a year in 2025.
On Thursday, Tesla unveiled the truck’s price: $61,000 to $100,000, depending on the model, according to the company’s website.
The pricier versions will have a range of 340 miles and a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds, the website said. The site didn’t list a towing capacity for the cheapest model, which will have a range of 250 miles.
At the Austin event, Musk played a video showing the Cybertruck beating two Ford F-series pickups — one electric and one diesel-powered — and Rivian’s electric R1T pickup in a towing competition.
To emphasize the vehicle’s speed, he played a separate film showing the Cybertruck beating a Porsche 911 in a race — while the truck was towing a second Porsche 911.
The long-awaited launch caps years of false starts and delays due to supply-chain pressures and other hiccups. Competition has also heated up, with Ford and Rivian beating Tesla to market with electric pickups of their own
Credit: The Washington Post
