This isn’t the competition-free environment it was back when Elon unveiled the new vehicle, and the Cybertruck’s capabilities don’t seem as remarkable as they did four years ago. Many of these other trucks have capabilities that come close, and in some cases may even exceed, Tesla’s.
By Peter Valdes-Dapena | CNN
Tesla CEO Elon Musk presided over the delivery of the company’s long-awaited Cybertruck, four years after it was first unveiled. But while there wasn’t much new information since the original presentation, a new price went live on Tesla’s website shortly after.
While the event had the typical Musk flash, with grandiose prognostications about “the future” and videos of Cybertrucks driving across ice, it provided very little new information. Even the price on Tesla’s website, which allowed people to place a $250 deposit to place their order, didn’t include traditional car buying experiences, like options, or even the possibility of paint colors on the stainless steel-clad truck. There was no discussion of practicalities like front trunk space, or anything beyond the company’s existing 250-mile range estimate.
The website did reveal, however, that the top-of-the-line model would be dubbed the “Cyberbeast.”
With a starting price of $60,990 before federal tax credits, the Tesla Cybertruck comes in at just over $20,000 more than the base model that was originally discussed at the vehicle’s debut in 2019. The company originally said the Cybertruck would cost less than $40,000, but a pandemic and an ensuing period of high inflation forced the company to move away from that promise.
And even then, it would only be “available in 2025,” the Tesla website said.
If you want one in 2024, be prepared to pony up nearly $80,000.
In terms of cost, alone, the Cybertruck is entering an electric vehicle market crowded with vehicles at that same price range. It’s not just pickups, but SUVs, too. It’s a factor that is already depressing sales of some electric vehicles, particularly in the luxury market, as automakers have flooded that price range as they try to start up their electric manufacturing operations.
But Tesla’s site gives that figure only for the Cyberbeast version of the truck costing nearly $100,000. The truck’s 11,000 pound towing capacity, something also mentioned in the presentation, is shown only with an all-wheel-drive version costing $80,000.
He also boasted of its “sports-car like” performance and showed a video of the Cybertruck towing a Porsche 911 on a trailer while itself racing a Porsche 911 down a drag strip. In fairness, Porsche 911 sports cars are not sold on the basis of raw acceleration.
