Tesla might not start mass production of the Cybertruck for more than a year, according a Tuesday report from Reuters, citing insiders.
With the late-2023 production ramp reported, that means in 2024 Tesla may only begin to make a dent in the list of the hundreds of thousands of intenders who put $100 down on a Cybertruck several years ago.
In its quarterly update call for investors last month, Musk said that the company is “in the final lap for Cybertruck,” with an “early production” start for mid-2023. Previously, all of Tesla’s models except Model Y, which had much carry-over from Model 3 at intro, have required a rather long runway to get to volume production.
The Cybertruck was revealed in November 2019, in what appeared to be concept-car form, but with claims of 0-60 mph acceleration of less than 2.9 seconds and a range of more than 500 miles in some versions. The company at that time claimed that the Cybertruck offered “better utility than a truck with more performance than a sports car.”
Tesla Cybertruck concept (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)
With stainless-steel bodywork, planar front and rear glass meeting at a point, wheel wells shaped like hex nuts, and a retro-supercar-inspired design overall, the Cybertruck treaded into new design territory for pickups. It became even more apparent after the Cybertruck’s debut that the truck was nowhere near production-ready, as Musk in mid-2020 confirmed a final decision about the production Cybertruck’s size and clarified how its materials choice would require new production tooling. Tesla has since dropped hints of a possible shift to 800 volts for Cybertruck.
Early this year, Tesla confirmed delays for the Cybertruck, Roadster, and Semi, with all three pushed to 2023. Since then, Tesla has started to make the Semi, however, with a first delivery due by December 1. Musk recently said that Tesla is “tentatively aiming” for 50,000 units of the Semi annually in North America.
Pricing could remain a sticking point. Tesla originally set the Cybertruck at $41,100, including $1,200 destination, with Dual Motor AWD versions starting at $51,100 and Tri Motor AWD model at $71,100. That was when the Cybertruck was supposed to be delivered in 2021, and at that time of the intro a base Model 3 cost about $40,000. It’s since risen to about $48,000.
