Tesla’s Revolutionary Ride: Cybertruck is Faster than a Porsche!

On Thursday, Tesla commenced the delivery of the Cybertruck to customers, marking the realization of Elon Musk’s personal endeavor. The billionaire proudly claims that this electric vehicle is more robust than bullets and swifter than a Porsche.

“It’s very rare that a product comes along that seems impossible … that experts said would never be made,” a giddy Musk told an audience at Tesla’s Austin, Texas, headquarters. “And this is one of those times.”

The angular truck that inspired the world of “Blade Runner” or “Mad Max” arrives two years later than Musk’s original schedule and has a starting price about $10,000 higher than the original target due to higher supply chain costs. and manufacturing problems stemming from its iconoclastic design.

Analysts have called the Cybertruck a high-risk project compared to Tesla’s other vehicles.

But Musk has shown enthusiastic commitment to the project, which he said is probably the company’s best, declaring: “Finally, the future is showing the future!”

The late debut comes as other automakers have delayed capital investment due to sluggish demand for electric vehicles. Tesla itself has made numerous price reductions for its other models, although its stock price has remained high.

“The launch of the Cybertruck is important to Tesla’s broader growth story in the coming years, and it also proves to doubters that Musk can successfully expand Tesla’s halo effect as more consumers move to the EV path in the coming years,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives. said in the note.

Thursday’s event provided updated pricing for the vehicle, answering a key question from Wall Street and consumers.

The standard model, available in 2025, costs $49,000, while the “Cyberbeast” with more horsepower and towing capacity is $96,390.

According to Tesla’s website, the prices include expected U.S. tax credits and savings from eliminating gasoline purchases.

The vehicle was initially announced with a starting price of $39,900, and first production in 2021.

In recent months, Musk has sought to limit expectations about the vehicle’s commercial potential, warning in October that commercial scale for the truck would be “incredibly difficult.”

– Challenging design –

Musk caused a stir in November 2019 with the Cybertruck prototype, which generated curiosity and buzz, although it was not universally loved.

After a brief demonstration on Thursday, in which the Cybertruck was shown to withstand a barrage of bullets from an army weapon and successfully tow a 40,000-pound (18,140-kilogram) sled, Musk posed for pictures with smiling customers driving his new trucks.

“This really changes the way the roads look,” Musk said.

But the vehicle’s unusual design, which uses large, flat sheets of unbent stainless steel, poses manufacturing challenges, said Art Wheaton, a transportation industry expert at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

“It may look cool, but it’s very difficult to manufacture,” Wheaton said.

The vehicle drew a dismal review from the progressive magazine The American Prospect, which warned that stainless steel is prone to rusting and that the stiff material could prove particularly deadly in car accidents.

Instead of focusing on building more affordable electric cars, Tesla “wasted four years and billions of dollars on Elon Musk’s teenage video game fantasy,” the magazine said. “It turns out that megalomaniac, conspiracy-minded billionaires are not the key to a carbon-free transport future.”

– Niche product? –

Musk has warned that the vehicle will take time to ramp up and reach 250,000 units per year in 2025.

Wheaton is skeptical that the Cybertruck will be a big seller, in part because of its “polarizing” design.

But he said the Cybertruck could still be a success for Musk, even if it turns out to be a niche product, by attracting customers to the brand. Wheaton compared the effect to the Chevrolet Corvette, which doesn’t generate huge sales but draws buyers to other GM vehicles.

“It acts as a kind of attention grabber,” he predicted.