During a conference call for investors, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the firm aims to begin shipping the Cybertruck, its battery-powered electric pickup, in the “middle of next year.” This is a more detailed timeframe than Musk has previously offered; on the results call for the previous quarter, he indicated the truck will arrive “hopefully next year.”
With a target launch date of late 2021, Tesla first unveiled the truck in 2019. The firm first stated that it would be delayed until 2022, but Musk then revised that forecast to “hopefully” next year on the company’s Q4 earnings call in January. Competitors like Ford and Rivian have now introduced their own electric pickups; according to Ford, 150,000 F-150 Lightnings will be produced in 2023.
The Cybertruck is distinguished by its bizarre, angular form, which resembles an early video game prototype. In the latter half of 2021, Elon Musk tweeted that he was concerned about the truck’s windshield wiper, suggesting that the business faced difficulties making that design safe for usage in the real world. To wipe the entire windshield at once, it now consists of one enormous arm.
Videos of the truck driving on test tracks have been made public, and earlier this year, someone shared a video of a prototype unit being walked about. In other words, unlike the second-generation Roadster, which is also scheduled to arrive in 2023, the truck hasn’t gone completely MIA.
Musk was vague on the call when asked what Tesla still needed to achieve to put the Cybertruck into production. A factory the company opened in Shanghai, China, has repeatedly experienced shutdowns due to COVID, which the company said was a factor in the drop in production it reported in its second-quarter earnings results.
Nevertheless, the company has encountered production issues even with its existing Model S, X, 3, and Y vehicles in recent months. Tesla has a production issue, not a demand one, Musk claimed during the conference call.
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