"Now there is a car that was once considered impossible, and experts say it will never be manufactured." On December 1st, at Tesla's Texas super factory, Tesla CEO Elon Musk began the first delivery of this "impossible" Cybertruck pickup truck. It took four years from release to delivery, and Musk even described Cybertruck's mass production as digging a hole for himself in financial reports, but finally made the impossible possible.
In November 2019, Musk released Tesla's first electric pickup truck, the Cybertruck, in the United States. Its style was completely different from that of pickup trucks on the market, reportedly inspired by the 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner. It is understood that Cybertruck is divided into three versions, namely rear wheel drive, full wheel drive, and beast version. Currently, the official website in the United States shows prices of $498900, $688900, and $963900.
As the first pickup truck model, Tesla described the Cybertruck as "more practical than a truck and faster than a sports car.". Official data shows that Cybertruck has a top speed of 209 kilometers per hour and an acceleration time of 0-100 kilometers per hour in just 2.7 seconds. At the same time, the model has a traction of 4990 kilograms and can load 1.13 tons of cargo. In addition, the Cybertruck body also uses integrated die-casting technology, with a stainless steel body and bulletproof glass. Tesla stated that this technology helps improve the collision resistance of the vehicle body, enhance vehicle safety, and also block bullets.
Although Musk once described the mass production of Cybertruck as digging a hole for himself, Tesla values the incremental space in the pickup truck market more. Data shows that global pickup truck sales exceeded 5.65 million units last year, with the North American market (mainly the United States) being the largest pickup truck market, with annual sales exceeding 2.7 million units. Electric pickup trucks represented by Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T have also entered the market. Yan Jinghui, a member of the Expert Committee of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that in the face of market growth, more and more car companies are starting to expand into the electric pickup truck market, and the competition in this niche field is just beginning.
Gary Blake, co-founder and managing partner of Future Fund, stated that due to pickup trucks accounting for 20% of the US automotive market, Tesla's total sales reached 2.7 million units last year. Tesla's future sales will significantly increase with the launch of Cybertruck, and it is expected that Tesla's sales will increase by 53% next year. Not only in the North American market, but also in the Chinese pickup truck market, sales are on the rise. According to data from the Joint Conference on Passenger Car Market Information, the overall sales of domestic pickup trucks in the first three quarters of this year were 377000 units, showing an increasing trend. It is understood that Tesla Cybertruck has accumulated many orders at present. According to third-party organizations, the current order volume for Cybertruck pickup trucks has exceeded 2 million units. The Beijing Business Daily reporter found that Tesla China's official website has already launched relevant information about the model, but has not yet provided booking channels and price information.
However, although delivery has already begun, Cybertruck still faces certain challenges in increasing production. During the earnings conference call, Musk admitted that increasing production of Cybertruck would be "extremely difficult", and Tesla may deliver 250000 Cybertrucks per year, but it may not be possible to achieve this until 2025. "It will take at least 18 months for Cybertruck to become a 'significant contributor to positive cash flow'," he said. 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.