Elon Musk handed keys to the first 12 Cybertruck owners during a live event to mark Tesla finally delivering the futuristic truck after four years of delays.
The CEO appeared in good spirits as he watched the steel-plated electric vehicles rolled onto a stage before inviting each person to sit in their new truck – despite launching into an expletive-filled outburst aimed at advertisers pulling out of X the day before.
Moments after the live stream ended, Tesla updated its website with new pricing, showing the Cybertuck has nearly doubled in price from $39,999 to $60,990.
Musk, however, failed to mention the increase during the 25-minute event hosted at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
Elon Musk invited 10 people on stage to claim their futuristic trucks, allowing them to sit inside for the first time
The steel-plated vehicle features a six-foot-long, four-foot-wide bed that can carry up to 2,5000 pounds, 11,000 pounds towing capacity and a 17-inch ground clearance
The ceremony started with Musk driving the truck on a stage in darkness and hopping into the bed to talk about it.
‘It’s the most unique thing on the road,’ he said. ‘Finally, the future will look like the future.’
Musk made jokes with the crowd, which was in a completely different mood from the day before when he told Disney CEO Bob Iger to ‘go f*** yourself.’
The remark was made when Musk was asked about Iger’s decision to pull advertising from X.
But the fowl mood did not carry over into Thursday as Musk stood tall in the bed of a Cybertruck proclaiming the vehicle’s durability.
He even had Tesla design chief Franz von Holshausen recreate the 2019 test that saw shatterproof glass with a metal ball.
However, a baseball was used this time, which bounced off the ‘armored glass.’
Viewers were also shown videos of the truck beating a Porsche 911 in the quarter mile while the Cybertruck towed another Porsche on a trailer.
Another video showed it out-towing a Ford Super Duty pickup, and Musk then started rolling out the Cybertrucks.
Each of the 12 owners smiled as Musk opened the door to their new Cybertrucks and invited them to sit in the passenger seat – a Tesla employee drove off the stage.
‘I hope you enjoy your car,’ Musk said as he introduced an early Cybertruck buyer to his new vehicle.
Each of the 10 owners smiled as Musk opened the door to their new Cybertrucks and invited them to sit in the passenger seat – a Tesla employee drove off the stage.
The steel-plated vehicle features a six-foot-long, four-foot-wide bed that can carry up to 2,5000 pounds, 11,000 pounds towing capacity and a 17-inch ground clearance.
Musk said the Cybertruck’s body is made of a stainless steel alloy developed by Tesla.
Stainless steel, Musk said, has no corrosion and does not need paint but can still be mass-produced.
The starting price was not the only one to increase – all-wheel drive is now $79,990, and the Cyberbeast is $99,990.
The 10 Cybertrucks rolled out of a tunnel and onto the stage one by one
Moments after the live stream ended, Tesla updated its website with new pricing, showing the Cybertuck has nearly doubled in price from $39,999 to $60,990. The starting price was not the only one to increase – all-wheel drive is now $79,990, and the Cyberbeast is $99,990
According to Tesla’s website, the rear-wheel drive Cybertruck will be ‘available’ in 2025, but the all-wheel drive and the Cyberbeast are set to launch in 2024.
It was speculated that Tesla was set to raise the price due to adjustments and upgrades made since the prototype was unveiled.
More than two million people are on the waitlist, which requires a $100 down payment to secure a truck.
It is unclear when moreCybertrucks will ship, but Musk said that production should reach about 250,000 annually by 2025.
Tesla has faced ‘enormous challenges in reaching volume production’ with the Cybertruck because of its new technology and design, Musk said in a recent statement.
The event started with Musk making jokes with the crowd
Musk had Tesla design chief Franz von Holshausen recreate the 2019 test that saw shatterproof glass with a metal ball. However, a baseball was used this time, which bounced off the ‘armored glass’
‘We dug our own grave with Cybertruck,’ Musk said last month, warning that making the vehicle a significant cash flow contributor would take a year to 18 months.
Experts said that Cybertruck’s new body material and unconventional, futuristic styling add complexity and costs to production and threaten to alienate traditional pickup truck buyers who focus on utility.
A few years ago, Musk had floated the idea that if people did not like the futuristic Cybertruck design, Tesla could ‘build a normal looking truck.’
Eric Noble, president of automotive consulting firm The CARLAB, said: ‘The larger problem for the Cybertruck is the Cybertruck wasn’t really designed for pickup truck users.
‘It will have a much narrower appeal than a Ram or an F series,’ he said of the popular Dodge and Ford pickups.
Telsa’s Cybertruck became a sensation when revealed to the world in November 2019, promising a 2021 launch.
The celebrated event quickly became a nightmare for Musk after the glass on his new electric ‘Cybertruck’ was smashed just after he boasted about it being ‘shatterproof.’
And it was not until July of this year that the world saw an image of the first Cybertruck rolling off the assembly line in the Austin facility
During the announcement of the truck – which looks like an armored vehicle with angular sides – Tesla design chief Franz von Holshausen tried to prove the glass was ‘shatterproof’ by throwing a heavy metal ball at close range.
Musk was heard muttering ‘oh my f***ing God’ when the glass smashed.
Since this prototype, tweaks have been made to Cybertruck to ensure it’s more durable and resistant to impact from rocks and debris that may fly up as it powers through rough terrain at high speeds.
The Cybertruck’s exoskeleton is now made from a new type of stainless steel that is strong enough to withstand impact from a 9mm handgun, according to Musk.
The CEO has previously blamed battery supply issues for the delay, saying that each Cybertruck would ‘literally cost a million dollars a piece or more’ if Tesla had started producing the futuristic vehicle in 2021.
And it was not until July of this year that the world saw an image of the first Cybertruck rolling off the assembly line in the Austin facility.
