Motortrend article with tons of info about Tesla’s Cybertruck

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/cybertruck/2021/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-photos-info/
My opinion it’s an absolutely amazingly great truck but the appearance sucks.

Like all Teslas, the Cybertruck's motors are backed by a one-speed automatic.

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:wink:

MitchJi said:

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/cybertruck/2021/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-photos-info/
My opinion it’s an absolutely amazingly great truck but the appearance sucks.

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Compared to any other pickup truck? Gorgeous.

It could look like a bashed-in dumpster and it would be much better looking than most pickups. But it looks more like a pristine, gleaming stainless steel dumpster from The Future.

I'm thinking maybe this is a marketing scheme. Tesla seems to have low production volumes at first. Maybe they took this into account and figured it would initially appeal to a smaller market anyways. If the specs are as good as they say that's what's going to draw current ICE truck owners over, not the look. So Tesla can test the waters with this design and if the specs start drawing ICE owners over they can redesign it if necessary and then ramp up production.

My other theory is that maybe they actually intend for this thing to float just like the Bond car it was based on. A gimmick to roll out with an update down the road. It almost makes sense if you figure this design will be limited to the first few runs. Otherwise I really can't see why they would take a leap like this with such and ugly design. I'm trying to appreciate it as utilitarian but I've seen better looking shovels.

furcifer said:

I'm thinking maybe this is a marketing scheme..........
.......... Otherwise I really can't see why they would take a leap like this with such and ugly design. I'm trying to appreciate it as utilitarian but I've seen better looking shovels.

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fully agreed. !
The first rule of Marketing is......keep the Brand in the public domain. Any news is good news.
This has always been a Musk methodology....big reveals, years before availability,...outlandish claims,..controversy...etc
In that respect this is another success. !

I agree with Furcifer and HH's comments- Tesla has always had to stay in public zeitgeist and comment to survive, and the CYBERTRUCK has a very unique luster about it. Being decisive in a sea of cars that look like melted bars of soap may actually make this sell.

I'm also of two minds- either this car is an angry rejection of current cars and current "futurism" OR it's made entirely by accident that snowballed into it's current, good design. The former is supported by the fact that there really is nowhere for trucks to "go" in terms of looks or style- everything is massive, garish, bigger diesels/more torque/able to birth and raise an entire family inside of. They all have the same themes and styles and appearances and engine types- so why not go the exact, OPPOSITE direction? Minimalist, utilitarian as possible, looking like what future cars we were promised back when we were kids. The pivotal designer who listens to what people claim they want and has the gall to say "okay". They did it with the interior in the Model 3- and while i'm nowhere near like the majority of the buying public, I think everyone appreciates the balls to get rid of everything but one screen.

On the other hand, I do think part of this car was happenstance still. As far as we know, Tesla has no space for production in current factories and has their docket MEGA full with finishing Gigafactory 3 and beginning the first ideas to starting Gigafactory 4 on top of the Roadster and Semi; their resources are also finite, as they can't throw money at a problem like GM or Toyota or most other OEMs. So I think some bright kid- ones Sillicon valley uses up and tosses- came up with a wild idea to use the frame as an exoskeleton and the truck formed as wild ideas meet actual engineering. Why not use 304 Stainless? We make it for SpaceX, we just gotta make more of the crap and it has utility. Bulletproof windows and panels? I bet someone just laughed about the body being that tough due to the thickness and Elon demanded it as a gimmick. And to add onto the gimmick- why not make it look Blade Runner? We could have any other front, and didn't. And Tesla fans like myself LOVE dumb gimmicks.

Be that as it is tho... I think i'm putting my $100 in for it. I think they're still testing the waters on people's interest, but waiting several years for this is actually just fine for me and where I am in life. Heck, better for the environment- allows me to really use up my daily as-is. I think imma get one and blast the theme song to "Robocop" on repeat. I wonder if they can mess with the LED lightbar up top so I can get first responder reds and blues installed.

https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/23/elon-musk-tesla-cybertruck-launch-windows-steel-balls
Chalk up another one for the comeback kid.

I was going to compile a comment on my personal opinion of this joke, but figured it would bounce off the Tesla fan club like steel balls off Armoured glass !
Then i came across a blog that said all i was thinking for me..

The so-called Tesla Cybertruck is essentially a Homer Simpson-designed stainless steel Humvee minus of course all connection to satire. It also has an element of mentally retarded stealth fighter about it also, I think you’d agree. It’s the perfect prank reveal, that wasn’t.
Look me in the eye and tell me a third-grader could not have done better with 15 minutes and a box of crayons. This is what happens when companies start believing their own bullshit......

....Tesla described the shiny visual abomination as:
“The most powerful tool we have ever built” - Tesla
...but we’re still seeking clarification on that. I think they might actually have been referring to the founder there. (We’ll keep checking.)..

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https://autoexpert.com.au/videoblog/tesla-cybertruck-most-absurd-ev-ever

I think there's two important points to remember; gas is a business write off for a lot of truck owners and while towing capacity is important we all know how it kills range on EV's.

These go a long way when I ask myself Why? they would reveal this truck the way it is. I don't think this was ever intended as a serious entry into the truck market.

cybrtrash had a 3.9 second cameo in an SNL drive-by satire.

furcifer said:

If the specs are as good as they say that's what's going to draw current ICE truck owners over, not the look.

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you've never lived in truck cuntry, have you?
spend any time embedded amongst them up to your neck till it glows crimson & you'll 'realize' (little cricketo) all that the good ole cuntry boiz are capable of realizin' from livin down on the pharm is how to follow the herd.
pay off everyone on this list to be seen driving around in Cybee & even then it's a hard 50/50 maybe some of the sheep will buy in.

My other theory is that maybe they actually intend for this thing to float just like the Bond car it was based on.

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your theory... uh-huh.

i 'realize' the hard edge look is currently in vogue in modern industrial design & angular automotive styling went mainstream at least in this century if not earlier following the trail blazed by pioneers of the wedge.
but i'll let you in on what i believe to be the open secret of their success & why for the most part these wannabee look-alikes look like crap in comparison.

despite the jokes about the windshield being cribbed from a JCB tractor, i took a straight-edge (yardstick) to a series 2 Esprit to see for myself & wuz a somewhat surprised to discover there isn't a single straight line anywhere to be found over the entire body.
while it may look angular & give the (deliberate) impression of being a straight wedge it's all an illusion.
every line & surface has a distinct yet subtle curve to it... like a woman.
hire an experienced I.D. who knows what he's doing (Italian of course) to restyle CT to sneek in some barely perceptible curves & you could knock it out of the park with a pen stroke.

Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh said:

your theory...[/url] uh-huh.

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Well spinningmagnets is a genius so I wouldn't expect less. More proof my theory is probably correct.

As for the rest, I did grow up in the county. I'm having a bit of trouble following you but I gather "tough sell" would be a bit of an understatement? If that's your point I would tend to agree. But that's also my point, target the hipsters that want the specs but don't work for a living, don't actually haul around a crew and don't tow a flatbed with a Bobcat. The base model is Fast AF and you can hold a Venti Pumpkin Latte no problemo.

Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh said:

i 'realize' the hard edge look is currently in vogue in modern industrial design & angular automotive styling went mainstream at least in this century if not earlier following the trail blazed by pioneers of the wedge.
but i'll let you in on what i believe to be the open secret of their success & why for the most part these wannabee look-alikes look like crap in comparison.

despite the jokes about the windshield being cribbed from a JCB tractor, i took a straight-edge (yardstick) to a series 2 Esprit to see for myself & wuz a somewhat surprised to discover there isn't a single straight line anywhere to be found over the entire body.
while it may look angular & give the (deliberate) impression of being a straight wedge it's all an illusion.
every line & surface has a distinct yet subtle curve to it... like a woman.
hire an experienced I.D. who knows what he's doing (Italian of course) to restyle CT to sneek in some barely perceptible curves & you could knock it out of the park with a pen stroke.

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I'm lost here, are you saying the good 'ol boys would buy this if an Italian ID fluffed it? Well I reckon that's the last thing they'd go for. They shoulda modeled it off a can of Coors Lite if they were going that route.

The fingers said:

https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/23/elon-musk-tesla-cybertruck-launch-windows-steel-balls
Chalk up another one for the comeback kid.

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I would love to know how many people are ordering because they think this is the wave of the future, and how many are ordering based on the fact they see this a limited run collector's item.

If I was head engineer I probably would have given the 0-88mph specs at the reveal.

furcifer said:

I'm lost here, are you saying the good 'ol boys would buy this if an Italian ID fluffed it? Well I reckon that's the last thing they'd go for. They shoulda modeled it off a can of Coors Lite if they were going that route.

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no, nothing's gonna convert them. (although there could be a few Lambo fans among them they could snag if it at least looked half-ass decent).
some of these mouth-breathers i've had 'animated' clenched teeth & clenched fist discussions with have gone so far as to say "if the day ever comes when there's nothing allowed on the road but electric is the day i cut up my drivers licence".

as there's no chance with the bulk of the traditional truck buyer segment, that don't leave much of a niche.
what i'm saying is Tesla would at least maximize their chance of broadening the appeal with everyone else.
why cut the slim remaining market in half? (which is just my ballpark estimate of the backlash over styling, seems to be about an even split between either all in love/hate).
but if they already sell more than they can make, they don't need to gaf what anyone else thinks.





luv @furst sight:
the American electric dream car that at the time would deeply & profoundly influence a young South African whipper-snapper & obsessively mold the future direction of his life chasing the dream.

Well spinningmagnets is a genius...

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Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh said:

but if they already sell more than they can make, they don't need to gaf what anyone else thinks.

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Well that's the crux of it right there.

I was thinking contractors wouldn't be that interested in purchasing one but I have to say they might make for great advertising. Talk about a rolling billboard...

Love the design, features, and performance.

Hate that it's rolling spyware.

So I won't be buying it, but it's still very cool. Modern cars all look like half-used bars of soap. SUVs look like two used bars of soap smashed together. Look at a big parking lot sometime. It's depressing.

I must be getting old, but I'm going to smack the next person that says "stainless steel alloy". It's redundant and it makes people sound like a stupid newb. I keep hearing people say it like Musk invented a new element on the periodic table and it's annoying AF.

^^^^^ +1..and the same goes for the idiot who made a big noise about “30x cold rolled” S steel.
There is nothing unique about a 30 pass cold rolling process.
Most car body steel sheet will have a similar number of “Cold ” rolling mill passes.
(“ Cold”..is a relative term in a steel mill ! )

Hillhater said:

^^^^^ +1..and the same goes for the idiot who made a big noise about “30x cold rolled” S steel.
There is nothing unique about a 30 pass cold rolling process.
Most car body steel sheet will have a similar number of “Cold ” rolling mill passes.
(“ Cold”..is a relative term in a steel mill ! )

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I haven't heard that one but I feel you.

I haven't seen the specs on the CT alloy but I doubt it's "revolutionary". For anyone familiar with metal the fact that they use it on a rocket isn't particularly compelling. Metallurgy is a give and take art and whatever they gave up to sustain the high heat of suborbital flight doesn't automatically translate to car bodies. Assuming it does is pure marketing.

Yeah, it's all marketing- normal buying public has no idea about it, and focuses on substance and style. Nothing special- every company does that.
This truck is not geared towards the Good Ole' Boys and never was. It's geared towards suburbanite warriors- people who want to be different in some way despite their typical American lifestyle and lawn and cul-de-sac. It's for towing quads and dirtbikes with your two kids and wife.

CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING said:

Yeah, it's all marketing- normal buying public has no idea about it, and focuses on substance and style. Nothing special- every company does that.
This truck is not geared towards the Good Ole' Boys and never was. It's geared towards suburbanite warriors- people who want to be different in some way despite their typical American lifestyle and lawn and cul-de-sac. It's for towing quads and dirtbikes with your two kids and wife.

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True, I'm not hating on the "Farfagnuhven" per se. But at least VW was upfront about making up marketing words.

I'm starting to feel like I'm being forced to think the Tesla way about this vehicle. I'm reading about how this is a work of art and a creative departure from traditional ways of thinking and I giggle because it's so FN ugly. But I still want it to succeed because I personally believe in EV's. I'm torn because I want people to accept them, but I can't consciously endorse this truck as it is.

furcifer said:

CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING said:

Yeah, it's all marketing- normal buying public has no idea about it, and focuses on substance and style. Nothing special- every company does that.
This truck is not geared towards the Good Ole' Boys and never was. It's geared towards suburbanite warriors- people who want to be different in some way despite their typical American lifestyle and lawn and cul-de-sac. It's for towing quads and dirtbikes with your two kids and wife.

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True, I'm not hating on the "Farfagnuhven" per se. But at least VW was upfront about making up marketing words.

I'm starting to feel like I'm being forced to think the Tesla way about this vehicle. I'm reading about how this is a work of art and a creative departure from traditional ways of thinking and I giggle because it's so FN ugly. But I still want it to succeed because I personally believe in EV's. I'm torn because I want people to accept them, but I can't consciously endorse this truck as it is.

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Well, art is entirely based on what you see versus the experiences you have had in your life, so it's pretty damn silly for someone to get mad at someone else for saying "I get why you like it, but I do not." But i'll be the first to say that Tesla fans get cult-y.

As for everything else- i'm only speculating, but I think this is the only way they could get into the market. Truck sales are vicious, and their owners clamp and hold to brands like innocents to a sinking ship. The field is also becoming narrow- you have the chicken tax and crash protections preventing small and utility trucks from being a market segment, while on the other side you have overinflated rolling cathedrals capable of 800lb-feet of torque and capable of rolling over a track Miata. They all achieve the same body style for use and purpose, all have similar aero, and to me at least- all have similar lines and appearances. I think the whole point of this flair and show of our Stainless Space Slice is because the only way Tesla could ever HOPE to breaking into the market was with people like myself- who see the utility of a truck, but are far too eco-conscious to consider it let alone have the need. That's why they had the quadbike in the back and have it seating 5- it's the electric swiss army knife of future dad.

CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING said:

....
....... I think the whole point of this flair and show of our Stainless Space Slice is because the only way Tesla could ever HOPE to breaking into the market was with people like myself- who see the utility of a truck, but are far too eco-conscious to consider it let alone have the need. That's why they had the quadbike in the back and have it seating 5- it's the electric swiss army knife of future dad.

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As we keep agreeing... its just a marketing “shock and Awe” tactic to grab attention, get into the news feeds and to make folk talk about it. .... ( and here we are doing just that !)
Tesla could have made it any design, and the same group of followers would still have placed orders.
But a conventional design would not have got the reaction and media attention of this shape.
By the way.....
The Swiss Army knife was largely superceeded by the “Multitool”. (Leatherman etc) about 20 years ago ! :wink:

Now I'm seeing a trend on YT towards "acceptance", as if this roll-out was some sort of traumatic life event we are learning to cope with. I'm still in the "denial" stage.

Aesthetics aside, I have a feeling insurance rates on the CT are going to be outrageous. Tesla's manufacturing process has been criticized for being overly complex. This seems to be supported by reports of exorbitant repair fees for minor fender benders. With structural members on the exterior of the vehicle it seems like repairs could be extremely expensive, if not a complete write off.

Still great marketing. Tesla is part car company, part soap opera.

the good ole boys will catch on, with proper exposure..



Jeremy McGrath "Doing some testing today in our new Cyber Pro 2, getting it dialed in for the @lucasoiloffroad 2020 season. #jm2 @maxxistires @ivdsuspension @traxxas @rigidindustries @bluemedia480 "

While I've never sat in one, it looks like outside visibility is crap.