The last step until production begins.
The Tesla Cybertruck breaks nearly every so-called automotive design rule. Traditional truck lovers mostly despise it. Tesla superfans love it. The jury is still out for the rest of us, though one thing is for certain: the Cybertruck we first saw back in November 2019 is not the final production version.
Although he’s not revealing any specific details, Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted last fall he was overseeing some last-minute “improvements” to the all-electric truck’s polarizing design, penned by Chief Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen. Buyers and, well, nearly everyone continues to wait patiently until the production-spec design is unveiled and it appears it’ll be happening quite soon.
Tesla
Tesla
Musk has just responded to a follower and, presumably, a Cybertruck buyer on Twitter stating the design update is “probably” happening next quarter. But that’s not the biggest Cybertruck-related issue on Musk’s mind right now; getting the Austin, Texas Gigafactory completed on time is. That massive facility is still under construction and only recently fell a little behind schedule because of the massive winter storm that struck the Lone Star state last month.
The ultimate goal is for production to begin by the end of this year, though Musk also previously admitted some luck is required to make that happen. The expected design changes, meanwhile, are not expected to be drastic, but they’ll be noticeable.
The overall wedge shape and bare stainless steel finish aren’t going anywhere but it’s possible the overall dimensions will be slightly downsized. Musk is fully aware the looks aren’t for everyone and that “if it turns out nobody wants to buy a weird-looking truck, we’ll build a normal truck, no problem.”
The Cybertruck will face competition not only from the Rivian R1T but also the all-electric Ford F-150, supposedly dubbed the E-150. GM and Ram will soon follow with battery-electric-only trucks of their own. Those who are willing to pay well above the Cybertruck’s $40,000 base price also have the GMC Hummer EV to consider. The Cybertruck is merely just one player in what’s shaping up to be a serious all-electric truck battle.
