[Pegasus1134]

I cannot imagine any other company in the world which would launch a vehicle with a design like this and have people line up at their door to buy it!
We will have to see what the market response is like as the buyers for a “pickup truck” in the USA wouldn’t choose something like this over their big butch gas guzzling F-150 raptors. I have seen some videos where there are Truck owners hurling abuses at Tesla owners for no reason at all. They seem to hate the electric cars. Elon Musk has decided to reply to this by doing what? That’s right. Launch an electric pickup truck with the most hideous design language ever.

[ash22]

Me.Musk is not that bad to approve this design as a final one. I suspect this design is just a proto and the actual production ready would be based on this platform.
He is following his actual strategy. Promise less and deliver more.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Window glass testing live was such an awkward moment. Apart from broken glass it made a dent to the Tesla's stock, down 6% after yesterday's Cybertruck unveil.

As I mentioned in my previous post they could have checked the glass & mounting before going for a live demo. Side windows are tricky as it does not have strong mounting except at the bottom (most of the cases) . Other sides are free and has a clearance between them and guide frame of the door. Looks like previous tests before the demo messed up the mounting and glass. It looks like simple design fix.

[Mortis]

I love the design ! I think it's refreshing to see something different once in a while. It's only a prototype do things might change by production time.
The only thing I'm wondering about is aerodynamics but I guess they will sort it out.
A few more smaller flat panels a la Polygon art will make it look better by adding some flat curves

[ach1lles]

The more I see it, and think about it, the more I like it.

• Their promo images tell a story. It's shown as a part of a desolate world, a desert. It's got a survivor's vibe to it. It'll be at home in a 'Blade Runner' world, a 'I Am Legend' world, 'Mad Max', and even in a 'Blade' world.
• It's futuristic, and its shape feels like it has been dictated by necessity, purpose, instead of any thought to make it appear pleasing, or regular. There's no paint; none needed.
• It is intimidating. Roll up in this, and you do not have to worry about right of way. This thing could destroy your pudgy SUV. It will slice through it, and smile.
• It will destroy a 911 in a sprint while carrying another 911 on or behind its back.
• This will be the new age Hummer or the G class. It's baller.
• Indestructible. "Touch me, and you will get hurt".

Sold.

[Latheesh]

Few reactions:
"Yep, no self respecting bullet would go anywhere near it"
"Wheels being round kind of looks wrong on this car. Was expecting triangles."
"I'm wondering if this is just Tesla testing out the loyalty of their fan base"
"That had to be the most expensive broken window in history, Tesla stock lost over two billion dollars in market cap today."
"This is a truck designed by someone who has never owned a truck."
"Imagine if he said let me get in the car and then shoot a gun toward the window."
"When I get this car I’m going to put cracked window decals just to remember this moment"

[charanreddy]

I like it. It's bold , it's outrageous and nothing like ever seen before backed by Tesla's superior tech. An F 150 look alike Tesla electric wouldn't have stood out, though impressive in a conventional way.. let's hold our horses till we see this in person, i have a feeling this will be just right for the purpose...

[AZT]

It's futuristic, and its shape feels like it has been dictated by necessity, purpose, instead of any thought to make it appear pleasing, or regular. There's no paint; none needed.

The look of it is polarizing, some people love it and others hate it. I think most people will come around to liking it

[Batfreak]

I personally don't like the design at all but I can understand why Tesla would try to do something like this. I think that the pick-up truck market in the USA is a very tough nut to crack:

1. Most customers are repeat customers and brand loyalty is very high. A Ford F150 owner is likely to stay with the brand for life. And more often than not, their kids are also likely to buy the same car because of the nostalgia that the marque carries with it.
2. Second, they are addicted to the big oil burners plonked in the front of their cars and that is one of the major reasons why they buy the pick-ups in the first place.

Now, if Tesla made something conventional, they would not quite have been able to stand out in this competitive segment. They do not enjoy that sort of brand loyalty, at least in this segment. Further, it would be very difficult to convince people who are used to such massive engines to go electric. So they absolutely needed to do something different, to be able to carve out a niche for themselves. I think that designing a vehicle in this way works to that end - they will still be able to find takers in buyers who are looking to own a pick-up, are open to the idea of going electric and yet want to stand out.

In any case, Tesla already has products to cater to the more urban dwellers who would prefer a more crossover-esque form in the Model Y and the much more premium Model X. To that end, I think any conventional product would have just led to cannibalism within the Tesla lineup, instead of actually getting in new buyers to the brand, who would, otherwise have preferred a normal pick-up.

Similarly, I think that the bullet-proof metal is more than just a publicity stunt. The buyers in this segment are used to buying cars that they know are extremely reliable and likely to last longer - another reason for the strong brand loyalty. Apart from the obvious structural benefits that this steel has, Tesla has also found a marketing mantra, an unbeatable assurance for the expected reliability of the car.

And, to be honest, I think the comparisons to the Rivian are not entirely fair, considering that the Rivian is priced much higher and targets a different segment altogether. And yes, I do think that Rivian should be concerned because they are fighting for the same niche (electric pick-up buyer) and the Cybertruck comes from a much more trusted brand at a much lower price.

Finally, as an automotive engineer, I cannot help but marvel at the incredible engineering feat that this car represents. Imagine having a bulky pick-up truck form factor with a heavy electric powertrain and a bullet-proof body shell - and yet, being able to promise a 0-100 time of under 3 seconds! I think this is the headline for me.

[live2dream]

The design is very polarising. Either you love it or you hate it, there is no middle ground. I absolutely love the design, something straight out of a sci-fi movie and that you have never seen on the road. Car designs need a radical change, I am tired of all the similar looking sedans , SUV's and hatchbacks on the road. Why cant a SUV look like this, very industrial, rugged and straight out a sci-fi movie.

You could pardon them for their window glass test goof up. Afterall the company has redefined automotive world with their electric cars.

[SreeT]

I think it's 90% possible that this is just a concept and the actual production truck (if there is one) will be traditionally styled and maybe even be smaller like a third generation Mazda B series pickup. I think they did this to get everyone to discuss how ugly it is to get free publicity.

My thinking behind this is that the the truck is claimed to have a range of 400 kms EPA, at a price point of $39,900. A model 3 with a range of 402 kms costs $39490. There is no way that this truck in it's current unaerodynamic form and huge size will has the same electricity consumption as a small aerodynamic car, so the battery in this truck has to be atleast 50% bigger. Now if they are able to make a higher capacity battery for the same cost, why don't they put it in their model 3 which is supposed to be a cheap bargain? Also consider that the truck is supposed to have 'bulletproof' windows, stainless steel and titanium used in it's construction and is generally bigger in size so there is no way they have a bigger battery than the model 3 in it for the same price.

My guess is that they realised the people who buy pickup trucks are of 2 kinds:

1. People who need the truck for their job, in which case the range will not be enough

2. People who like a big truck, in which case they are not environmentally conscious enough to consider an electric car,

so they concluded that a Tesla pickup will be a total flop, considering someone else already beat them to it. Thus it is my belief that there will be no actual Tesla pickup truck put into production, altleast in the current form and specs. Only time will tell if I am wrong.

And bulletproof windows are a bad, bad idea in a car with a battery pack that loves to burn (Lawsuit against Tesla after malfunctioning door handles left driver trapped in a burning car). You need to be able to break the glass as quickly as possible in case of an accident which is one of the reasons you are not allowed to have window tint on the front windows in Germany. And what is the point of bulletproof windows without, say bulletproof doors?

[aim120]

Was reading some of other truck forums and I learnt that even in pick up truck, owners are brand loyalists.
A F-150 owner is not even going to go for a chevy pick up truck. Similarly a Chevy pick up owner is not going to go for a F series trucks. Most are brand loyalists for life.

Much like canon and nikon owners, only when a disruptive thing like (mirrorless cameras), do these owners convert to Sony A7 series or Fuji etc. Even then, most waited for canon to launch their own mirrorless cameras. So there will always be brand loyalists and also some who might change because of major disruptive product.

Most pick up truck owners would have waited for their respective brand companies to launch their own EV trucks.

I think had Tesla launched a F150 style pick up truck with typical tesla styling, it would have been keyed, black smoked.

This Cybertruck cannot be keyed and its built like a tank, you can only ridicule it for it looks which are entirely subjective but you cannot ridicule it objectively, it ticks almost all boxes. Many people who complained multiple times about its looks have grown up to it and have pre ordered.

Even the Rivian truck now looks dated from the frontal aspect.

I think Elon will still tweak the design a bit mainly from truck owners who find the putting things in rear bed more cumbersome in this truck because they will have to go all the way back of the bed to put things because of slope which starts from the cabin area. Which is a fair point.

I think this can takes sales away from Honda and Toyota pick up truck owners, who are less loyal and get fresh customers who didn't even consider getting a pickup truck.

Even if it sees huge demand, now with 1.5lakh plus reservations. Tesla doesn't have the capacity to produce that many vehicles without putting more assembly lines. They still have to deliver Model Y and Semi truck and Roadster orders.
Tesla Model X sales will drop owing to Model Y and Cyber truck releases.

[procrastinator]

Perhaps I am on that side who doesn’t find design bad.
Because it’s a next gen of truck which will be better than current trucks on hauling load and deliver performance like a really fast car.

It will be interesting to see how it handles and honestly with adaptive suspension I am excited to test or hear about one.

On road it looks basic with other cars but the Twitter pictures posted feel like a teaser of new Hollywood movie.

I am sure they forgot to test everything which they learned hard way at the event.
On the flip side, expect the glass to be much better in actual product.

Tesla, add some angular wheel arches and faux rectangular bull bar. It will add character to it.

[GrammarNazi]

IMO this design would've worked great in the 80's to 90's. That was when Sci-Fi caught our imagination. Adults were fascinated by HG Wells' novels and even as tiny tots we dreamily imagined the wondrous life of The Jetsons.



Now that we've seen alot of those Sci-Fi dreams materialise, we have also matured in understanding what human mind understands & processes ie what kind of design grows on us, and even what doesn't. As much as people may like edgy designs in fashion, that design language holds deep interest only for a few hours. Which is why those designs are adaptable for fashionable clothing outfits.

Personally, this only reminds me of the destructive corporate army from the movie Avataar, & I couldn't manage to 'like it' even if I tried to. I read a very apt description somewhere, "an electric car for meat-eaters". Anyway, seems people at Tesla really want to roam around in a mars-rover-esque vehicle for extended periods of time.

I guess since Teslas' PR has marketed itself as a cult, it'll sell a few.

[gthang]

Just like all Tesla products, revolutionary.
Contrary to what they might claim, they are a niche manufacturer, and can afford any design.
Don't think it will make an impact on regular truck volumes. Even though this truck claim to exceed the capabilities of regular trucks, there are options of various trim levels and majority of the sales are of the lower variants.
I just get peeved when they put on a facade of being green and environment friendly. There's more emissions from internet servers talking about this before it's even launched. Or we could be selectively blind and ignore that reality.

Cheers