Cybertruck will be the last Tesla to use stainless steel exoskeleton

[SCTesla]

I bet it has something to do with local and environmental considerations in addition to whether your OCD about fingerprints or not. Here in the desert, I think I see more unwrapped than wrapped.

It's all anecdotal, but all the CTs I've seen in SC and down to Florida are wrapped. It seems 90% are matte black. It's to the point where people have asked me if mine is custom and say, "Don't they typically come in black?"...at least around me.

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[carsly]

I bet it has something to do with local and environmental considerations in addition to whether your OCD about fingerprints or not. Here in the desert, I think I see more unwrapped than wrapped.

Same in NJ, very, very few are wrapped.

 

[Mini2nut]

The full size pickup truck segment is a very, very tough nut to crack with conservative buyers who are loyal to Chevy, Ford or Ram. They also love V8 gas and diesel power plants under the hood. I don’t have the numbers but I feel the CT only made a very small dent regarding full size domestic pickup truck sales.

When I heard Elon mention they could manufacture up to 250,000 Cybertruck‘s per year to meet demand I chuckled.

 

[dalton108]

The full size pickup truck segment is a very, very tough nut to crack with conservative buyers who are loyal to Chevy, Ford or Ram. They also love V8 gas and diesel power plants under the hood. I don’t have the numbers but I feel the CT only made a very small dent regarding full size domestic pickup truck sales.

When I heard Elon mention they could manufacture up to 250,000 Cybertruck‘s per year to meet demand I chuckled.

You can just look at Doug DeMuro‘s new video for the new 4Runner and he mentions how bent out of shape people get with any changes to the design of that truck! The CT is like an alien rocket ship! They don’t even know how to process it, let alone buy it/live with it. Lowering the price isn’t gonna change that!

It’s threatening! It’s weird! That’s what I have embraced about it. That’s what will stop “squares” from buying it. Many people here don’t understand how weird they are. Most people want to blend in with the crowd. I didn’t buy the car “because it stands out” but there are plenty of people who won’t because it does.

EM is only so convinced to the contrary because he has the one condition where you can’t understand or read human emotions! Duh!

 

[Macgreiner]

I think it is a shame. One of the big draw cards for many was the park and forget aspect of SS.

 

[AO-Pete]

My take on this is that the CT was another Elon vanity projection/moon shot/whatever, the same as the Model X (it was basically designed around his then-family). That's not to say it's a bad thing, but like the MX, the CT has a narrow target audience, that's either still narrowing or maybe widening depending on the politics (I don't care, and not going there).

I'm not sure MX really advanced the technology in any way (lots of patents around doors (front & falcon), but they've not been reused since), whereas the 'upside' for CT is that it's a platform to demonstrate the new architecture, steer by wire etc etc. So it's not a waste, by any means, and like the MX, it will always have its crowd, but also like MX, it's niche, regardless of price. I doubt there will ever be a meaningful exterior refresh of the CT (other than fixing the known and obvious shortcomings), and also doubt there will ever be another MX.

Anyway, this feels like a slight release of control from Elon, and a gain of control from the other leaders at Tesla. We see this every day in meaningful X posts from the likes of Wes, Martin, Rohan, Drew etc. Elon is certainly no longer the 'voice of Tesla' in anything other than the investor calls. For sure, he retains massive influence, but it just feels that the other adults in the room are getting more of a say.

 

[CyberGus]

This just means our Cybertrucks will be more uniquer ?‍

 

[Mini2nut]

I think it is a shame. One of the big draw cards for many was the park and forget aspect of SS.

When it was revealed in late 2019 it was the futuristic styling and super durable SS skin that attracted me to the vehicle. If it was manufactured using thin aluminum/metal like every other vehicle on the road I would not have placed my deposit.

 

[dalton108]

When it was revealed in late 2019 it was the unique styling and super durable SS skin that attracted me to the vehicle. If it was manufactured with thin aluminum/metal like every other vehicle on the road I would not have placed my deposit.

Same. That and the 500 mile promised range. I bought it despite its failure to meet that specification. At the end of the day, I bought it because it’s the only vehicle of its type that has FSD. That may make me extra weird, but I have always believed in the technology and cannot even consider buying a new vehicle that doesn’t have it.

Why would I? I guess there’s a future where your humanoid robot will be able to drive whatever kind of car you have for you, but until then (this year or next- or later) I should have three full-time chauffeurs sitting in my driveway. In my personal experience, they’re about 90% of the way there already. I don’t do much driving that I don’t want to do anymore. I sit with my arms folded and ride and supervise.

 

[ABILISK]

It’s my personal speculation but 4/5 CTs I see on the roads are usually wrapped. Personally I like the bare SS look but couldn’t put up with the fingerprints so mine is wrapped too despite wanting to keep it bare before purchase.

I live in the same area and would have said 4/5 aren’t wrapped lol

 

[deftguru]

I expect CT demand to skyrocket once price decrease hits the market.

I seriously doubt this.

 

[YDR37]

The source was Tesla in their earnings deck.

To be even more specific, it's on page 15 of the Tesla 4Q 2024 presentation to investors, located here. Tesla compiled a table of innovative new technologies that they developed for the Cybertruck. The final column indicates whether or not they plan to use a specific technology on future Tesla vehicles.

Lots of CT innovations, including the 48V electrical architecture, the 800V battery system, bidirectional charging, rear wheel steering, the adaptive air suspension, and steer-by-wire, were designated for reuse on future Tesla models. But the stainless steel exoskeleton, and the associated air bending manufacturing process, didn't make the cut.

The table doesn't indicate why Tesla is dropping stainless steel. But the conventional wisdom is that stainless steel is just too expensive and difficult to work with. Maybe the conventional wisdom was right this time. If so, it could help to explain why the actual cost of the CT today turned out to be so much higher than the estimated cost back in 2019.

The CT has a very distinctive angular design, which was developed in part because of the difficulty in shaping stainless steel panels. Tesla could still reuse CT design elements in the future, but they will probably do so using more conventional body materials like painted steel or aluminum. The new Model Y and the Cybercab prototypes already seem to have CT-inspired features.

 

[RM Rilke]

As a kid my friend’s dad was a very talented metal worker. I was pretty close with him and he endlessly extolled the virtues of stainless. So I love the material. That is my main draw. All the things that make stainless so great, also makes it very difficult to make cars with. The sharp angular surfaces and dramatic edges just freak people out. It looks cold, unfinished, and even dangerous to them. I love the industrial minimalist form, but I understand the how and why of it’s construction. Your average consumer sees it through an emotional lens. The CT isn’t welcoming. Elon stated in the call that he is now working on the robot and AI. His work at Tesla is going to be increasingly in that space. The mission is why I love Tesla. That dude is lost in technology dreams that seem inhuman to people that (for right or wrong) are frightened by a dystopian future.. The CT styling is poorly timed for this moment in history. I don’t see that changing. Shame. It’s a work of industrial art.

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