After two years of delays and production obstacles, Tesla's first Cybertruck inspired by Blade Runner has finally arrived. On the early morning of December 1st Beijing time, the Cybertruck delivery event was held at Tesla's super factory in Texas, USA.
Analysis suggests that Tesla's future sales will significantly increase due to the launch of Cybertruck, which will help drive its market value back to $1 trillion.
Can it travel on any planet surface?
On November 30th local time, the delivery event of Tesla's electric pickup truck Cybertruck was held at Tesla's Texas Superfactory, which also means that Cybertruck officially began sales.
Tesla CEO Musk personally drove a silver gray Cybertruck onto the stage to speak, stating that this is a car that experts say is impossible. Experts believe that Cybertrucks can never be produced. "I think this is our best product, and in the end, the future should look futuristic," he said
It is reported that Cybertruck adopts a stainless steel exoskeleton body, armored glass, and all terrain tires, with a traction force of 4990 kilograms, and can load 1.13 tons of cargo. The car can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers in just 2.7 seconds, with a top speed of 209 kilometers per hour. Through wire controlled steering and rear wheel steering, it achieves sporty handling and a turning radius better than most sedans. Tesla claims that Cybertruck can flexibly handle various rugged road conditions and can travel on any planet's surface.
Cybertruck has super strong protective performance, and armored glass can withstand the impact of baseball or level 4 hail at a speed of 112 kilometers per hour. At the delivery site, the chief designer of the company, Holtzhausen, threw steel balls at Cybertruck twice. This time, none of the car windows were broken, and there was no damage to the body of the car. Previously, in similar exhibitions in 2019, the "unbreakable" armor glass was shattered.
Tesla also showcased a race video between Cybertruck and Porsche 911 during the delivery event. In this game, Cybertruck dragged another 911 to defeat it. Musk pointed out that Cybertruck "even dragging the 911 is faster than the 911."
Pricing is too expensive, and the market is somewhat disappointed
Despite outstanding performance in speed, traction, and off-road capabilities, the market is not buying Tesla's Cybertruck. After the press conference, Tesla's stock price fell to 3% in late Thursday trading and eventually closed down nearly 2%, falling from a six week high for two consecutive days.
The reason why the market is disappointed with Cybertruck is simple: it is too expensive.
Tesla's Cybertruck currently has three configurations: rear wheel drive, four-wheel drive, and the so-called Cyberbeast.
Among them, the cheapest rear wheel drive model is priced at $60990 (approximately RMB 435000), which is more than 50% higher than Musk's estimated quote of slightly less than $40000 when it was first released in 2019. The rear wheel drive version will be delivered in 2025.
The two models that Tesla will deliver next year are more expensive. The four-wheel drive model is priced at $79990 (approximately RMB 571000), while the Cyberbeast version is priced at $99900 (approximately RMB 714000).
"This is much more expensive than I imagined," said Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management. "They need to increase production to lower prices."
The order volume has exceeded 2 million
According to third-party organizations, the current order volume of Cybertruck has exceeded 2 million. Pickups are a very large market, with global pickup truck sales exceeding 5.65 million in 2022, with the North American market (mainly the United States) being the largest pickup truck market, with annual sales exceeding 2.7 million.
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 - he expects Tesla's sales to increase by 53% in 2024.
However, due to the engineering and production challenges brought by the unconventional design of this model, it will be difficult to increase production after the first delivery. Wedbush analysts had predicted that the production of Cybertruck in the fourth quarter of this year may only be 2000-3000 units, and in the first half of next year it will be around 10000 units.
Musk stated in an investor conference call in October that the Texas factory's goal is to produce 250000 Cyberracks annually, but the company expects to achieve this goal at least by 2025.
Tesla's market value is expected to return to trillions
According to Dan Ives, an analyst at the US investment bank Wedbush, Tesla's Cybertruck release will remind investors of the dominant position of this electric vehicle manufacturer and help drive its market value back to $1 trillion.
In a newly released research report, Ives stated that the debut of this car would be an "important moment" for Musk's company, as he maintained his 12 month target stock price of $310.
According to calculations, if Tesla's stock price reaches this level, its market value will climb to $996 billion.
Ives wrote, "The launch of Cyber Trucks is crucial for Tesla's overall growth in the coming years and will also prove to skeptics that as more and more consumers choose electric vehicles, Musk can successfully expand Tesla's halo effect."
He added that although the new product is unlikely to "leverage the financial compass" for this electric vehicle manufacturer in 2024, it can showcase Tesla's "leading advantages in innovation and awareness" compared to traditional car manufacturers to investors.
Domestic car enthusiasts can't wait to make their own "luxury cars"
The delivery of Cybertruck has also sparked heated discussions among car enthusiasts. Some Chinese netizens have asked when they can buy it domestically?
The reporter noticed that Tesla China's official website has launched a page for Cybertruck in three specifications (Beast Edition, Front Wheel Drive, and Rear Wheel Drive), but has not provided information such as booking channels and prices.
The reporter learned from Tesla China that it is difficult to estimate the specific number of orders in China, but Tesla Cybertruck has long stopped receiving orders from the Chinese and European markets and only allows bookings in North America. In addition, the recently launched Tesla Cybertruck children's car in China, priced at 11990 yuan, is sold out as soon as it is launched.
However, there are also clever netizens who are trying their best to "drive" this personalized new car on the road ahead of time.
On the evening of November 29th, a brand new Cybertruck appeared on the streets of Changsha, attracting many netizens to watch and shoot.
This raises doubts, will Tesla's new car enter the domestic market simultaneously? The reporter interviewed Tesla official staff, but received a negative response. The other party said, "This shouldn't be our car." "It's a bit rough upon closer inspection.".
Where does this car, which is very similar to Cybertruck, come from? The reporter searched the internet and finally found a video blogger with an IP address in Hunan, who posted a video of a self-made Cybertruck. Through the comparison of pictures and videos taken by netizens, it can be basically confirmed that the Cybertruck that appeared on the streets of Changsha is self-made by the "folk god".
Data shows that in 2022, the penetration rate of pickup trucks in China was 1.7%, far below the global average of 7%. Pickups are a good choice for consumers who frequently play outdoors or value the loading capacity of their cars. It can be foreseen that as pickup trucks are gradually lifted and electrified in China, more lifestyles will be created for Chinese users.