Tesla built its first Cybertruck at the electric-vehicle marker’s plant in Austin, Texas, the company said in a tweet on Saturday. The angular pickup truck has been in the works for two years, and its production had been pushed back as the company struggled to ramp up the manufacturing of its next-generation 4680 battery.
Despite the delays, Tesla founder Elon Musk has been adamant that the Cybertruck is an essential project for the company to pursue. The vehicle gives the company an entrant into one of the top segments in the United States auto market. It puts it squarely in competition with electric pickups from Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O) and Ford Motor Co. (F.N).
The angular, wedge-shaped Cybertruck looks nothing like a traditional pickup truck. Its body, which the company refers to as an “exoskeleton,” is made from a stainless steel alloy used for SpaceX rockets. The design is supposed to make the truck “literally bulletproof” against at least smaller firearms, such as 9-mil parameter handguns, Musk said in a 2019 reveal. During that event, a man with a metal ball took a shot at the truck’s supposedly unbreakable windows, cracking them but not damaging the frame.
As for the pickup’s functionality, Tesla says it can tow 14,000 lbs and carry up to 100 cubic feet of cargo while offering 2.9 seconds to get from 0-60 mph. The vehicle will be offered in three variants: an RWD version capable of towing 7,500 lbs and carrying 1,500 pounds, a dual-motor AWD capable of towing 10,000 lb and 2,200 pounds, and a tri-motor AWD with the top specs.
But the Cybertruck’s appearance has yet to go over well with everyone. Some analysts have panned it as a niche product that won’t have much mass appeal. Its stainless steel exoskeleton makes it a more expensive vehicle than many other electric vehicles, and its futuristic-looking design has been criticized for looking more like a Blade Runner prototype than a typical pickup.
Despite the doubts, some analysts still see the Cybertruck as an opportunity for Tesla. Analyst Chelsea Sexton, for example, thinks that if the vehicle does end up hitting the market, it could help to boost the electric-car maker’s overall sales. She also points out that the Cybertruck will be one of the company’s biggest new-vehicle launches since its Model Y in 2020. “That’s why the company must get this thing right,” she writes. “Otherwise, it may be another missed chance to drive long-term growth.”
