56 Cybertrucks at Fayetteville GA Dealership…

[YDR37]

Lowering the MSRP devalues the product and brand. You'll likely see end of quarter financing incentives, probably some "demo" deals...but I can't see the MSRP dropping.

I doubt that we will see low MSRPs for electric trucks as long as manufacturers keep producing full-size models. Big trucks need big batteries, and big batteries are expensive.

What could lead to lower MSRPs are smaller electric trucks -- electric versions of the Tacoma, Colorado, Ranger, or Maverick. Or a version of the Model Y with a bed. Ford recently trademarked the "Maverick Lightning" and "Maverick Ranger", so they could be coming.

The ICE and hybrid Mavericks start around $25,000. A fully electric Maverick Lightning would probably cost more, but there is still a lot of room there to undercut existing electric pickups on price. Maverick buyers tend to skew younger and more urban than "typical" truck buyers; they are probably more receptive to electric vehicles in general, and less likely to care about range and towing.

I wouldn't be surprised if an electric Ford Maverick or Hyundai Santa Cruz is the first electric truck to find true mass-market success.

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[YDR37]

Or a version of the Model Y with a bed.

In fact, when Tesla first announced that they were working on a pickup, the common expectation was that it would basically be a Model Y with a bed. For example, Motor Trend imagined that a Tesla pickup would look like this:

Obviously Tesla chose to go a completely different -- and probably much more expensive -- route.

 

[Balthezor]

In fact, when Tesla first announced that they were working on a pickup, the common expectation was that it would basically be a Model Y with a bed. For example, Motor Trend imagined it like this:

Obviously Tesla chose to go a completely different -- and probably much more expensive -- route.

That's a Hyundai Santa Cruz.

 

[YDR37]

That's a Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Pretty much, except that Motor Trend published their conceptual renderings of the Tesla pickup in September 2019, a year before anyone got the first glimpses of the pre-release Santa Cruz.

Probably not one of Motor Trend's most successful predictions. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a pickup that looks less like the one that Tesla ultimately produced.

 

[Carnut12]

Notice how the OP posted a bunch of photos but not a single one showing the available sign he claims they all have. Its common for delivery centers to deliver up to 30 in a single day. So this is 2 days worth of deliveries. More fake news on these forums.

Right, as if I’m 5 years old, I swear so many Tesla fanboys are the most immature individuals I’ve ever seen on forums.

 

[Carnut12]

My son actually took one..so much for your immaturity being proven wrong.

This was on a ton of them including the Foundation on the front apron of the dealership.

Zoom in fanboy

 

[igs]

My son actually took one..so much for your immaturity being proven wrong.

This was on a ton of them including the Foundation on the front apron of the dealership.

Zoom in fanboy

That does not say "I'm available".

 

[HaulingAss]

If the CT could get 0-2% financing (like the 3/Y offers recently), I think that would really make people feel comfortable in making the leap. They really wouldn't have to lower the price if the rates were better.

Lowering the interest rate is the same thing as lowering the price.

 

[Ralphiefar]

I’m waiting for a lease to come out

 

[tres_comas]

this is good news that demand has slowed down, i am waiting to see if fed would further drop interest rates and also hoping tesla would throw in some incentives right around christmas time.

 

[HaulingAss]

I *might* could see the RWD CT maybe dressed in standard painted metal panels, instead of stainless steel. ??? ? I'd imagine that would be one hellova product cost reduction...and a relatively simple manufacturing line change. ...and sell it at $60K or maybe even start with a "5".

Standard painted panels are not going to happen, because the cold-rolled steel is structural. It's what gives the Cybertruck that "hewn out of single metal billet" feeling while cornering or driving on rugged roads. The hardened stainless panels are why the Cybertruck can carry 2500 lbs. over rugged terrain while only weighing 6,600 lbs. It's what allows it to tow 11,000 lbs. without flexing enough to amplify trailer sway. And it's how it can traverse rugged terrain with two wheels off the ground, clawing at the sky without buckling the panels.

The fact that the bodywork is bulletproof is just a side-effect of how strong the panels needed to be to stiffen the chassis and prevent side intrusions without side intrusion beams.

If the panels were standard painted panels, the rest of the chassis would have to be beefed up with heavier aluminum gigacastings, more high-strength steel and more frontal and side impact protection. And they would need a large expensive paint shop to protect the panels from rust. The truck would need a few more batteries to make up for the extra weight, the entire chassis would have to be re-designed, and the cost of production would go up, not down. And you would no longer have a tough truck that shrugged off chips, scratches and dents. Costing more and being less damage resistant would mean it would sell in far lower volumes.

What makes the Cybertruck drive so well, besides it's beefy air suspension and active dampers, is it's engineering and light-weighting. It's the synergy between the castings, the structural high-strength steel passenger compartment and the cold-rolled stainless-steel skin. Without the skin, the underlying structure would be weak and prone to fatigue failure. The sum is greater than it's individual components, thanks to the engineering synergy that is happening between the different structural components.

The price of $79,990 (well equipped) is actually a bargain, considering it's durability, capabilities, and low cost of operation. The biggest problem here is not the price but that new truck buyers don't have a clue what they are actually looking at. I hate to say it, but they are ignorant of the actual economics of the Cybertruck, and probably also somewhat afraid of swimming against the status quo. Most people are not strong leaders, they are mostly timid followers (and acting tough and independent doesn't change that fact).

Tesla is well aware of how long it takes for new ideas to become accepted, after all, they are the ones who popularized electric vehicles. The diffusion of knowledge and understanding is a gradual process. People have to be exposed to a ground-breaking new product or idea first. Some will get it right away. Others will need to sleep on it. The little worm in their brain will need time to develop. During that time they process all the new things they learned, things they were exposed to, and gradually they start to change the way they think about it. They need to remember how easy it was to drive through that parking lot. How well it towed that backhoe or load of trusses. How little it costs to charge up each night. How it added three hours of driving range in the time it took to get a cup of coffee. How good the stereo sounded in comparison to their old truck. The way the map display was so big the truck was not just a little triangle on a straight road, it was placed in the middle of a large satellite photo. The way you can zoom out and see all the charging opportunities wherever they want to drive. The way the truck was already warm and defrosted (or cooled to a pleasant, dry temperature) before they got in. And on and on.

People need time to figure out what's good and what's inferior. Information diffuses in an exponential manner because one person shows multiple people, and some of those people show multiple people, and on and on. It doesn't happen instantly, upon the release of a new idea or product, it has to go through a gestation and diffusion process. It might not start quickly, but it is unstoppable, as long as the idea or product is superior.

And for the majority of use cases, the Cybertruck is superior, both from a convenience perspective, from a user experience perspective, and also from an economic perspective when compared to a new truck with similar capabilities, gas or electric. It just takes time for humans set in their ways to figure it out and come to terms with it. And they always do, or we would still be using horses or steam engines.

 

[HaulingAss]

this is good news that demand has slowed down, i am waiting to see if fed would further drop interest rates and also hoping tesla would throw in some incentives right around christmas time.

Demand is always lumpy over time. There are fast months and slow months. Some slow or fast periods are seasonal, they tend to happen during the same weeks every year. Other variations in demand do not repeat annually, they could be driven by people waiting to see if their candidate wins, whether a union contract is ratified, or by a spell of bad weather that dissuades buying. Demand is always fluctuating.

That makes it impossible for Tesla to perfectly match distribution and production to demand in every area of the country. So, I wouldn't put too much meaning into a measly 40 or 50 Cybertrucks sitting in one delivery center with no owners (unless they sit there for a couple of months, or almost all delivery centers have a multi-month surplus).

Currently, there are many other delivery centers with no available stock. This is just a natural result of the lumpiness of demand and the time it takes to transport vehicles across the country. There are also potential distribution mistakes at Tesla's head office. Employees acting in a rush, against the data right in front of them. With a few keystrokes they can send too many Cybertrucks to one location. And Tesla is not like traditional auto dealers who are always moving cars from destination to destination. That is an expensive solution of last resort. They tend to sell them where they sit. If you are in the market for a Cybertruck, and happen to live in one of those areas, that is to your benefit. You might not save much money, but you can take delivery almost immediately. Others are not so lucky.

 

[HaulingAss]

Maybe I didn’t get your point, I don’t relate to fanboys that can’t accept that Tesla isn’t perfect.

The only person in this thread that introduced the idea that Tesla is perfect, or that anyone thinks Tesla is perfect, is you.

That said, their products, and the economics of their products, are demonstrably superior to just about every other automaker out there, with the possible exception of one or two Chinese automakers who don't yet import into the U.S.

In other words, your crass putdown is not valid, no one claimed Tesla was perfect, that is something you just made up out of thin air.

 

[HaulingAss]

In fact, when Tesla first announced that they were working on a pickup, the common expectation was that it would basically be a Model Y with a bed. For example, Motor Trend imagined that a Tesla pickup would look like this:

Obviously Tesla chose to go a completely different -- and probably much more expensive -- route.

As someone wha has been driving the groundbreaking Cybertruck since early April, I can only thank my lucky stars that Tesla is a leader, not a follower. That thing is hideous and doesn't have much greater capabilities than a passenger car, except for its small open bed. And it's going to need a significantly bigger battery and heavier frame than a Model 3 to have comparable highway range and higher payload, so it would cost considerably more than a Model 3.

 

[Foundation Series Dude]

That's a Hyundai Santa Cruz.

You misspelled "turd".

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