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AUSTIN, TX – A new Tesla model that CEO Elon Musk promises “is really going to change the look of the roads” began arriving in the hands of customers on Thursday. The futuristic Cybertruck, which the company has been touting since 2019, was officially unveiled at a delivery event held at company headquarters.
“I think it’s our best product. I think it’s the most unique thing on the road. And, finally, the future will look like the future,” said Musk, who called the Cybertruck “a better truck than a truck while also being a better sports car than a sports car in the same package.”
The Cybertruck has a bulletproof, corrosive-resistant stainless steel exterior and will be available in three variants. While news stories have quoted various prices for the Cybertruck, Tesla’s website today lists the top-of-the-line Cyberbeast version as costing $96,390. An all-wheel drive version is priced at $68,890, while a rear-wheel drive version that’s coming in 2025 will be $49,890.
Range on the models goes from an estimated 250 miles for the rear-wheel drive version to 340 miles for the all-wheel drive model. “It’s basically a very useful truck. It’s not just some grandstanding show piece,” said Musk.
Tesla is taking orders for the Cybertruck on its website, with potential buyers asked to put down a $250 deposit. “It doesn’t feel like a normal truck. It’s smooth as silk and quiet,” Musk said.
In launching deliveries, Tesla rolled out a video hyping the Cybertruck’s performance, notably the 845-horsepower Cyberbeast’s ability to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.6 seconds. It showed the model racing a 2023 Porsche 911 while towing an identical 911. Guess which won.
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While some in the automotive community have dismissed the Cybertruck because of its odd styling – Ars Technica wondered in a headline Thursday if the model will be “Elon’s Edsel?” – Musk dismissed the naysayers. However, at the rollout, he did call the model a “seemingly impossible” product.
“Once in a while, once in a long while, a product comes along that is rare. Once every five to 10 years, something really special, a really unusual product comes along. And we’ll remember those special moments.,” he said. “We have a product here that experts said was impossible; that experts said would never be made.”
In another video, the Cybertruck was shown out-pulling a Ford F-350 diesel model. The Cybertruck has a six-foot by four-foot bed and a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. It also has a 2,500-pound load capacity.
(Photos and video courtesy of Tesla.)
