The debut of Tesla's Cybertruck and the resulting market outlook is bringing fresh wind to the EV industry. The new vehicle, the first to be unveiled in four years, has drawn attention for its unusual performance, with strong showings in drag racing and sledding, where the Cybertruck beat competing trucks.
But it's not without its critics. Some experts have argued that Tesla's videos exaggerate the Cybertruck's performance, calling the videos little more than advertisements. While the Cybertruck did perform well in the sled pulling competition, there are questions about whether some strategic elements may have skewed the results.
In the video presented at Tesla's event, the Cybertruck showcased its drag race performance, in which it raced the same car while driving a Porsche 911 and won by a quarter of a mile, but experts say this kind of double-barreled performance show was not impressive enough.
In another video, Tesla gave an unusual demonstration that included Tommy guns and pistols shooting through the CyberTruck's powerful stainless steel doors, while another video shows the pickup pulling a sled and racing through a parking lot, outpacing the competition. The CyberTruck was mounted on a 40,000-pound tractor-towed sled to show off its power, beating vehicles ranging from a two-engine F-150 Lightning to a four-engine Livian R1T to a Ford F-350 with a power-stroke engine. However, some experts have dismissed the performance as hype.
There's also some concern on the pricing front, as the published price has risen unexpectedly, especially for the rear-wheel-drive version, which will arrive in 2025 and cost $60,990 (about 250 miles), a significant increase from the 2019 price estimate of $39,900. The all-wheel-drive version, due in 2024, will cost $70,990 for 340 miles, and the Cyberbeast trim will cost $99,990 for 320 miles. The intentional omission of an explanation of the revised pricing during the event may have been a strategic choice, as the updated numbers are less appealing than the original 2019 projections.
Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, continued his performance at the event. This time he threw a baseball through the window to demonstrate the strength of the Cybertruck, and the glass didn't break. However, there was no logical explanation for this, leading to speculation. The short duration of the event and the small number of participants also raise questions about the event.
The Cybertruck is limited in some markets due to production challenges, reliability, and unconventional design. The answer depends on Tesla's production capacity and ability to respond quickly to the market. As competition in the electric vehicle market intensifies, how Cybertruck secures demand and delivers it to customers will depend on what strategies and efforts are made in the future. It remains to be seen what kind of ripple effect this will have on the truck market led by existing competitors and how successful Tesla's innovative design will be.
Cybertruck Pull/Video Credit: Tesla.
