Elon Musk talks Tesla: “We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck”
Enlarge / The Cybertruck during its 2019 debut, shortly before one of the supposedly bulletproof windows was shattered by a hammer. (credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla's unconventional electric pickup is about to go into production, according to company CEO Elon Musk. As Ars noted yesterday, Tesla's financial results for the third quarter of 2023 included the news that the company plans to begin deliveries of the Cybertruck at the end of November. But Musk also warned of probable complications ahead as his company tries to scale production.
The Cybertruck was first revealed during a chaotic presentation in 2019. It featured an exterior design that looked like it had been sketched with Mars in mind, made from unpainted stainless steel panels like the ill-fated DeLorean DMC12, and allegedly with bulletproof properties, all with a starting price of $39,900.
At the time, Musk promised Tesla would reinvent the most quintessentially American vehicle form factor. Instead of body-on-frame construction like the majority of trucks on our roads, or even a unibody construction like the Honda Ridgeline, the Cybertruck was originally going to feature a monocoque body, similar to a Formula 1 car or prototype, except made of folded stainless steel rather than carbon fiber.