Cybertruck disappoints in terms of price and range

Tesla delivered the first units of the Cybertruck, which was introduced in 2019, to customers at its headquarters in Austin, Texas, and announced further details on technology and pricing. The latter will be considerably higher than initially announced.

This is what the Cybertruck costs

Tesla is asking almost $61,000, the equivalent of around 56,000 euros, for the entry-level version of the Cybertruck in the US, which won’t be available until 2025. This equates to a premium of more than 50 percent compared to the $40,000 base price announced four years ago.

There is the rear-wheel drive single-motor version, which enables a sprint to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds and a maximum speed of 180 km/h. No performance data for the drive is provided. The range is 250 miles, which is equivalent to 400 kilometers.

The all-wheel drive version with twin motors and an output of 450 kW/610 hp can reportedly travel 550 kilometers and sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h in around four seconds. The price for the version available in 2024 is around $80,000 or 73,500 euros.

The top version is the Cyberbeast with three-motor all-wheel drive and a system power of 630 kW/857 hp. This means that the pick-up, which weighs over three tons and is almost 5.70 meters long, must complete the standard sprint in less than three seconds and reach a maximum of 210 km/h. The range is 510 kilometers and the price is around 100,000 dollars or 92,000 euros.

No mass production yet

When the Cybertruck was presented four years ago, production was expected to begin in late 2021 and have a price range between $40,000 and $70,000. But start-up problems delayed production several times. Tesla boss Elon Musk said a few months ago that the company had “digged its own grave” with the model because the unusual vehicle required so many new production processes.

As a result, Tesla is still far from mass production, as the Handelsblatt reports: So far, only a few units have been handed over to customers and a significant number of Cybertrucks are expected to only hit the market from 2025 onwards. . According to the trade magazine, this is partly due to the new body structure made of durable, ultra-strong stainless steel. But that is difficult to process, especially given the special shape of the Cybertruck.

On the other hand, the Cybertruck has an on-board voltage of 800 volts, as can also be found in some models from Audi, Porsche or Hyundai. However, this is new for Tesla and the switch is complex. Last but not least, new battery cells will be used, the production of which is currently causing problems, the trade magazine said.

Given the high production costs, the question is whether the model will be financially profitable for Tesla.

More than a million pre-orders

A lot has changed in the production version of the Cybertruck compared to its premiere in 2019, but visually it matches the angular design, which has attracted a lot of media attention and also a lot of interest from car customers. With its angular shapes, the gray Cybertruck is reminiscent of a mix of a tank and a stealth bomber and of science fiction films such as ‘Blade Runner’ or ‘Mad Max’.

In the US, Tesla is said to have more than a million pre-orders for the Cybertruck. It will probably be a few years before these are served. It is therefore not surprising that Tesla banned the first buyers from reselling to avoid a gray market with exorbitant prices.

The 2019 accident will not repeat itself

Musk presented the Cybertruck to the public in November 2019 and described the design as unprecedented. However, there was a problem with the presentation: during a demonstration of the Cybertruck’s stability, the body withstood the blows of a sledgehammer. However, the car windows were severely damaged when a steel ball was thrown.

When the first Cybertrucks were delivered on Thursday, Musk laughed about the incident – ​​and had the test repeated. However, the object thrown was apparently only a baseball and not a steel ball. Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen also threw the baseball rather half-heartedly. This time the side windows remained undamaged.

So far, there isn’t a big market for e-pickups in the US

The American car giants now have their own electric pick-ups on offer. However, so far they are sold in small numbers. GM sold just 18 Silverado EVs last quarter – and about 143,500 vehicles of this internal combustion and hybrid model. In October, Ford sold a whopping 3,700 all-electric F-150 Lightnings out of a total of approximately 53,500 pickups in the F model lineup. Tesla’s rival Rivian, which focuses exclusively on electric vehicles, has sold only a few pickups so far.

The major manufacturers attribute the mediocre sales figures not only to initial production bottlenecks, but also to a currently fundamentally lower interest in the more expensive electric vehicles. Because economic concerns and high interest rates are making car buyers more careful about their money.

Will the Cybertruck also come to Germany?

There is still speculation about whether the Cybertruck could officially come to Germany. As a Tesla Germany spokeswoman responded to a request, there is still no information about a European launch. In the past, some experts have expressed skepticism about the Cybertruck’s potential market launch prospects, saying it is unlikely to meet European safety requirements to protect pedestrians and other road users. The reasons given were the enormous mass, a rigid basic construction and the angular outer skin.

However, it will probably only be a matter of time before the first vehicles come to Europe as gray imports and are approved for road traffic through individual acceptance.

Used sources:

(tonline)