The Cybertruck has been at the center of conversations in the automotive industry for almost four years.
It needs no introduction, as Tesla (TSLA) and its charismatic CEO Elon Musk have made their very first new car since the Model Y SUV in March 2019 a game changer.
"We've pulled people away from their kind of normal comfort zone and brought them something that's just radically different and will be on the street radically different and, you know, if you're not used to attention might be a little tough in the beginning," Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief vehicle designer, said about the Cybertruck in January.
The Cybertruck has been described as something out of the films "Mad Max" and "Blade Runner." Musk himself said that the vehicle had been "influenced partly by 'The Spy Who Loved Me'," in a reference to the amphibious Lotus Esprit S1, featured in the 1977 James Bond film.
Production Remains on Track
Clearly, the goal is to push the envelope, cementing the corporate image of the company as being at the forefront of innovation. Tesla, the leading electric vehicle maker, is not like the others, and this is the message sent by Musk via the Cybertruck.
The problem is to know if, in spite of all this fuss, the Cybertruck would really be only a mirage. The vehicle was presented to the general public in November 2019 in Los Angeles but almost four years later, it is still not on the market, which brings a smile to Musk's detractors who regularly mock his ambitions and thundering statements.
Tesla has postponed production of the Cybertruck on various occasions, but in January, Musk said the Austin, Texas-based automaker would start production later this year. This statement was greeted with a bit of skepticism because in the past Tesla and its chief executive have almost never met a production deadline.
This time looks different as the company has just confirmed that it will stick to its schedule, which should make fans of the brand happy and send a message to rivals.
"Cybertruck remains on track to begin production later this year at Gigafactory Texas," Tesla said on April 19 during the publication of its first-quarter earnings, adding that equipment installation for the production continued in the first three months of the year.
It said that "Cybertruck factory tooling on track; producing Alpha versions."
Indeed, a fleet of Cybertruck prototypes has been circulating for several weeks in the streets of California, according to several videos posted on social networks. Musk himself often commented on some of the videos.
A Possible Cash Machine
Tesla, however, does not give the exact date of the start of production and hasn't unveiled the version of the Cybertruck that will be mass-produced. The order book, however, appears to be full since the carmaker is no longer taking orders outside North America.
The commercial success of the vehicle seems to be guaranteed, at least in the first months. This vehicle is considered Tesla's next cash machine. Pricing for the Cybertruck has yet to be announced but auto industry experts estimate a base price of about $40,000.
The Cybertruck is said to have a low center of gravity, which provides good traction control and torque, enabling acceleration from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and up to 500 miles of range.
In addition, Tesla said that the pickup truck has up to 3,500 pounds (1,587 kg) of payload capacity and adjustable air suspension and 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage, including a tonneau cover "that is strong enough to stand on."
The Cybertruck has also a towing capability of over 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg), the carmaker has said.
"From rugged to refined, Cybertruck is completely adaptable for your needs," the carmaker says on its website. "Prepare for every experience with a versatile utilitarian design — including on-board power and compressed air."
The Cybertruck will have a battery pack size of 100 kWh, according to Musk's Master Plan 3 for Tesla, details of which were unveiled on April 5. It is the same battery size as the brand's two top-of-the-line models -- the Model S sedan and the Model X SUV.
The Cybertruck will compete with Rivian's RT1 (RIVN), Ford's F-150 Lightning (F) and General Motors' Chevrolet Silverado (GM).
