After 4 years, Tesla finally produced its first pure electric pickup truck, the Cybertruck.
"Now there is a car that was once considered impossible to achieve, and experts say it will never be manufactured." At 4am Beijing time on December 1st, Tesla CEO Musk announced at Tesla's Texas super factory that the Cybertruck will begin its first delivery.
It is understood that Cybertruck took a total of four years from release to delivery, and the difficulty of mass production was so great that it was once described by Musk as "digging a hole for oneself". How was Cybertruck, which is proficient in various martial arts, refined and capable of withstanding bullets and pulling elephants?
A pickup truck that knows kung fu
Tesla's Cybertruck can be seen as a "kung fu" pickup truck: proficient in "ironclad shirts" and able to withstand Thomson submachine gun fire; Infinite force, traction can pull an African elephant; Even the lightness skills are not inferior, and the speed is even faster than the Porsche 911
At the Cybertruck press conference, the most dramatic scene was the 1/4 mile acceleration race. The Cybertruck's cyberpickup surpassed the Porsche 911 in speed, and only after switching camera angles did people realize that a Porsche 911 was still dragging behind the Cybertruck.
It is understood that Cybertruck can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.7 seconds, with a top speed of 209 kilometers per hour; Equipped with a stainless steel exoskeleton body, armored glass, and all terrain tires, it is sturdy and durable, and can adapt to various road conditions; Has a traction force of 4990 kilograms and can pull an African elephant; Can load 1.13 tons of goods; By using wire controlled steering and rear wheel steering, sports car level handling and a turning radius superior to most sedans can be achieved.
In order to make the pickup truck safer, Tesla has created a brand new alloy material for the Cybertruck, making it capable of withstanding the "violent experiment" of Thomson submachine gun fire, with no bullets entering the passenger compartment. In addition, the armored glass of Cybertruck's cyberpickup truck can withstand the impact of baseball or level 4 hail (with a diameter of 2.5-5cm) at a speed of 112 kilometers per hour, and its ultra-low center of gravity design also makes it less prone to overturning.
In the drag and drop competition, Cybertruck also surpassed the R1T pure electric pickup truck of American car making new force RIVIAN, Ford pure electric pickup truck F-150 Lightning, and diesel Ford F-350 pickup truck.
In terms of price, Cybertruck has three versions: rear wheel drive, full wheel drive, and beast version. After the discount, the cheapest rear wheel drive version starts at $49890 (approximately RMB 356000), the full wheel drive version starts at $68890 (approximately RMB 491500), and the beast version starts at $96390 (approximately RMB 687700).
After the release of Cybertruck pickup trucks, Tesla's stock price experienced a plunge in late trading, closing down 1.66%. After the market, Tesla's stock price continued to decline, dropping more than 3% at one point. Some argue that the decline in Tesla's stock price is due to the higher pricing of Cybertruck pickup trucks.
The Tesla production technology behind it
Behind Cybertruck's mastery of kung fu, Tesla's advanced production technology is also indispensable. From the perspective of the bulletproof "iron cloth shirt", the Cybertruck's body uses integrated die-casting technology, which was first applied by Tesla to the rear floor of the Model Y.
At present, the 6000 ton die-casting machine used in Tesla's Shanghai super factory greatly simplifies the connection process of the Model Y model's rear bottom plate in the welding process, greatly reducing the welding points and adhesive amount of the vehicle body. The rear bottom plate, which originally required more than 70 welded parts, is formed by one-time die-casting. While improving production efficiency, this technology also helps to enhance the collision resistance of the vehicle body and enhance vehicle safety.
It's not just the Cybertruck that emphasizes safety, Tesla also has special body structures and materials in models such as Model 3 and Model Y: the body is made of high-strength steel, which can protect the cockpit passengers. There is enough crumple zone in the front and rear, and all aluminum integrated die casting is used for cushioning, which can resist dangerous collisions from multiple angles.
Thanks to integrated die-casting and other technologies, the production capacity of Tesla's Shanghai super factory is continuously increasing. The production capacity of Shanghai's super factory in the second quarter of this year was 750000 vehicles per year, and it has increased to 950000 vehicles per year in the third quarter of this year. At present, the updated Model 3 produced by Tesla's Shanghai super factory has been delivered to markets in Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions.
At the first China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo held from November 28th to December 2nd, Tesla Vice President Tao Lin said, "Currently, the localization rate of Shanghai's super factory components has exceeded 95%, and the automation rate has reached over 95%. Tesla alone has signed contracts with over 400 local first tier suppliers, of which more than 60 have entered Tesla's global supply chain system."
Under pressure on performance, Tesla has seen "five consecutive increases"
Although the production capacity of Tesla's Shanghai super factory has continued to increase, many models are still in a state of "supply shortage", with extended delivery cycles and continuous price increases.
On November 28th, Tesla China's official website showed that the Model Y Long Range Edition had once again increased in price by 2000 yuan to a starting price of 306400 yuan. Previously, on November 21st, the Tesla Model Y Long Range Edition had just increased in price by over 2000 yuan.
On November 14th, the updated Tesla Model 3 rear wheel drive version increased its price by 1500 yuan, with an adjusted starting price of 261400 yuan. The Model Y rear wheel drive version increased its price by 2500 yuan, with an adjusted starting price of 266400 yuan. On November 9th, both the Long Range versions of Model 3 and Model Y underwent price adjustments. Even earlier on October 27th, the price of the Model Y high-performance version was increased by 14000 yuan.
Behind the five consecutive increases in car prices for over a month is the pressure on Tesla's profits. According to Tesla's financial report, the company's total revenue in the third quarter was approximately $23.4 billion (approximately RMB 171.2 billion), a year-on-year increase of 9%, and net profit was approximately $1.9 billion (approximately RMB 13.9 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 44%.
In terms of gross profit margin, Tesla's total gross profit margin in the third quarter was 17.9%, which did not meet market expectations. Tesla stated that in the future, it can cope with the adverse effects of price declines by reducing costs. In the third quarter, the company's bicycle sales cost decreased to $37500 (approximately RMB 273200), and with the continuous upgrading of new factories, unit costs are expected to continue to decline.
The delivery of Cybertruck pickup trucks is also expected to drive Tesla's performance growth. According to third-party agency data provided by Tesla, the current order volume of Cybertruck pickup trucks has exceeded 2 million units. In 2022, global pickup truck sales exceeded 5.65 million units, with the North American market being the largest pickup truck market, with annual sales exceeding 2.7 million units.
Gary Blake, co-founder and managing partner of Future Fund, stated that due to pickup trucks occupying a 20% share of the US automotive market, Tesla's total sales in 2022 were 2.7 million units. Tesla's future sales will significantly increase with the launch of Cybertruck, a Cybertruck pickup truck - and it is expected that Tesla's sales will increase by 53% in 2024.
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