It is the most anticipated vehicle of recent years. It could be a game-changer in the electric-vehicle market. And it's Tesla.
For its manufacturer (TSLA) the Cybertruck could become a cash cow like the F-150 pickup/truck has been for Ford (F) for several decades.
The Cybertruck has aroused enormous curiosity among Tesla fans, analysts and industry rivals.
Musk has been talking up the truck for a long time, but its introduction has been delayed. Now, the closer Tesla gets to the start of production, the more heat the vehicle has been generating among Tesla followers.
Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has recently let out some clues to fan that interest and to fuel further speculation surrounding the vehicle.
A Boat
In July, the serial entrepreneur revealed that production of this futuristic truck would start in mid-2023 at the Tesla factory in Austin.
"Our team continues to focus on Cybertruck production readiness and some future platform design," he told analysts during Tesla's second-quarter-earnings' call. "We are still expected to be in production with the Cybertruck in the middle of next year."
"We're hoping to start producing them in the middle of next year," the billionaire added when pressed by an analyst. This means the first units will be delivered to their owners beginning around June or July 2023.
The billionaire then raised expectations, saying this vehicle should be the best vehicle Tesla has ever made. This claim sounded similar to a statement he made last November.
Tesla currently markets the Model 3 and Model S sedans and the Model Y and Model X SUV/crossovers.
In addition to the Cybertruck, the Tesla Semi and the new version of the supercar Roadster are also in the works. The production of the Semi is said to begin by December 2022.
Musk has just unveiled features that the Cybertruck will have. And no doubt that this will create big new buzz around the vehicle.
"Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat," the entrepreneur said on Twitter on Sept. 29. "So it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy."
Already Very Popular
To support his point, the billionaire explained that the boat feature should enable the Cybertruck to go from Starbase, his aerospace company's headquarters in Texas, to South Padre Island, a Texan island known for its beaches and nature.
Starbase is the city that Musk wants to build in Texas. He'd do this by incorporating Boca Chica Village, the small Texas community where SpaceX is building its Starship spacecraft, with surrounding villages. It would be the starting point for the colonization of Mars that the tycoon promises.
To see SpaceX's work, many tourists often go to South Padre Island, which is not far from Starbase.
"Needs be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel," Musk added.
The billionaire first unveiled the electric pickup in November 2019 at a promotional event in Los Angeles.
That presentation was marked by a demonstration of the vehicle's shatterproof and purportedly bulletproof window. The demo went askew after an aide hurled a metallic ball at the front window and shattered it.
The vehicle has been described as something out of the films "Mad Max" and "Blade Runner." Musk himself said in 2019 that the Cybertruck had been "influenced partly by 'The Spy Who Loved Me,'" a reference to the amphibious Lotus Esprit S1 featured in the 1977 James Bond film.
Tesla is no longer taking orders for the Cybertruck in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The European Cybertruck page has the order option replaced by "Get Updates."
The Cybertruck can still be ordered in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
People can reserve one of the vehicles for a refundable $100 deposit -- essentially no commitment for a vehicle that won't be cheap.
On Nov. 24, 2019, Musk said that Tesla had already received at least 187,000 orders for the Cybertruck.
The Tesla Cybertruck promises up to 500 miles of electric range, a maximum tow rating of 14,000 pounds, and a base price under $40,000.
Buyers will also have to add Tesla driver assistance system Full Self-Driving for $15,000 at last check.
The Cybertruck's immediate rivals are the Rivian (RIVN) R1T electric pickup, the GMC Hummer pickup from General Motors (GM) and the Chevy Silverado electric pickup from GM. It will also compete against the F-150 Lightning, the electric version of the Ford F-150 pickup.
