Tesla Cybertruck deliveries begin
First customer deliveries of the long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck are finally underway with prices starting from US$60,990 (NZ$99k).
If follows a live-streamed delivery event on November 30 from the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas.
Chief executive Elon Musk welcomed the crowd while standing on the back of a Cybertruck and said he believed it was Tesla’s best model yet.
“These things are rare … it’s very rare that a product comes along that is seemingly impossible, that people said was impossible … and this is one of those times.
“We have a car here that experts said was impossible, that experts said would never be made … I think it’s our best product.
“Finally, the future will look like the future,” he said.
Feat of Strength 3: Cyberbeast (0-60 in 2.6s) pic.twitter.com/q0cK9zb21D
— Tesla (@Tesla) November 30, 2023
The Cybertruck features a unique steel alloy designed by Tesla.
Musk says the “super tough” alloy was designed so it doesn’t corrode and doesn’t need paint and it can be made in volume.
The vehicle’s durability was a particular focus after a mishap at its 2019 unveiling, where lead designer Franz von Holzhausen unintentionally shattered two of the Cybertruck’s ‘armor glass’ windows with a metal ball, an outcome that deviated from expectations.
At the delivery event, von Holzhausen took to the stage for another demonstration, and this time his attempt to break the window was unsuccessful.
If that wasn’t enough, the event featured a video of the truck getting fired at with a Tommy gun and the bullets unable to penetrate the outer body. Earlier last month, podcaster Joe Rogan interviewed Musk during which Rogan tried to shoots an arrow into the Cybertruck’s side.
In terms of utility, Tesla says the truck has around five tonnes of towing capacity and around one tonne of payload capacity.
It features a tough composite bed that doesn’t need a liner which is 1.8 metres long and 1.2 metres wide.
It has an estimated range of around 547km and can reach 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds.
Feat of Strength 1: Shots fired pic.twitter.com/aPfpQuMXvc
— Tesla (@Tesla) November 30, 2023
Another video showed the Cybertruck taking on other models in a truck-pulling competition and beating a diesel-powered Ford F-350.
In showcasing the Cybertruck’s performance, another video showed it on the racetrack beating a 2023 model Porsche 911 while towing another Porsche on a trailer.
Recent reports estimate Tesla has secured around 1.9 million reservations for the Cybertruck which it originally aimed to start producing by the end of 2021. The company has set a production target of 250,000 units per year until 2025
Pricing is also more expensive than first expected, with original estimates for Cybertruck pricing to start at US$39,900.
Tesla produced its first Cybertruck in July this year with a photo of Texas GigaFactory staff celebrating the achievement.
It’s yet unknown if or when the Cybertruck will become available in right-hand drive markets such as New Zealand and Australia.
However, the model has already reached our shores with photos showing a prototype was here for winter testing in August at Wanaka’s Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds with a trailer attached.
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