After years of promising an electric pickup that could outperform offerings from the Detroit 3, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday revealed an angular vehicle that failed to withstand a 25-minute presentation.
This story by Michael Martinez originally appeared in Automotive News Europe.
Musk promised exhilarating performance out of the so-called Cybertruck, with acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph.
But the pickup could use some more testing before production is slated to begin in late 2021: The truck was described as having windows made from armored glass. But its side window broke twice during an on-stage strength demonstration when chief designer Franz von Holzhausen threw a metal ball at it to test its durability.
The four-door, six-seat pickup starts at $39,900 in the U.S. with a base range of more than 250 miles. The most expensive variant starts at $69,900 and will get more than 500 miles range, Tesla said. By comparison, the current maximum range of a Tesla car is 370 miles for its long-range Model S sedan.
It has a towing capacity of more than 14,000 pounds and a payload of up to 3,500 pounds.
Following the reveal, Tesla immediately began taking online pre-orders for a deposit of just $100.
Tesla is hoping to continue its history of industry disruption with the pickup, which it thinks can find a niche in a profitable segment the Detroit 3 have dominated for decades.
Musk repeatedly referenced the Ford F-150, which has been best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for the past 42 years. He showed a video of the Cyber truck allegedly beating an F-50 in a tug-of-war contest.
The body is made of “ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel,” according to Tesla.
Analysts following the reveal were skeptical the vehicle could make a dent in the lucrative pickup segment, especially with Ford and General Motors both working on their own electric pickups.
