Elon Musk doesn't care if the Cybertruck flops

[TruckElectric]

Elon Musk dismissed criticism of the Tesla Cybertruck on Thursday following an article from that compared the futuristic vehicle to "a one-off Hot Wheels toy come to life."

"To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else. I don't care," Musk tweeted. "I love it so much even if others don't."

"Other trucks look like copies of the same thing, but Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future," he added.




In further tweets, Musk said Tesla is keeping the same production design that it unveiled in 2019 with "just some small tweaks here and there to make it slightly better."

nstead of door handles, Musk said the truck will recognize its owner and open automatically, and that it would have four-wheel steering for tighter turns.

As the second anniversary of the Cybertruck announcement approaches, Tesla has yet to begin scaling up its manufacturing of the vehicle while offerings from competitors like Rivian and Ford grab headlines.

"If we get lucky, we'll be able to do a few deliveries toward the end of this year, but I expect volume production to be in 2022," Musk told investors back in January.

Musk acknowledged then that concepts are relatively simple compared to actually getting vehicles produced and on the road.

"Prototypes are easy, scaling production is very hard," he said.
On the TTAC blog that sparked the conversation, Tim Healey said that with the announcement of Dodge's EV Ram truck, each of the Big Three Detroit automakers will have an electric truck offering – plus the marketing and manufacturing experience to deliver.

"Once the initial wave of enthusiasm dies down, the Cybertruck will be outshone by the competition," Healey wrote. "I think the Cybertruck just won't sell well, and Tesla will soon find itself working on a more conventional electric pickup."

Pricing for the Cybertruck starts at $39,900, and various estimates put the number of refundable $100 reservations somewhere between 650,000 and 1 million. Production will most likely take place at Tesla's newest factory near Austin, Texas when it is finished.


https://www.businessinsider.com/elo...sla-cybertruck-flops-production-design-2021-7

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[electricAK]

I read the opinion piece. Healy is wrong. He's clearly put off by the unique (ugly?), futuristic stylings of the CT and the lack of enthusiasm of the people around him at the unveiling. And let's face it, the CT is, at first glance, shockingly unattractive from afar. But I'm betting people will love the way it looks up close. The seamlessness of the body, smooth aerodynamic design...this is not a car. It's not even a truck...it's an aircraft. And it was clearly built to have the aerodynamics of one.

Looks aside, Healy's main complaint is that the CT won't do "truck things" as well as the electric truck competition. I beg to differ. In fact, I think the aesthetics be dammed. The Cybertruck will succeed precisely because it does truck things BETTER than the competition.

Let's ignore the fact that he neglects to explain any specifics as to which "truck things" the CT won't do well. But if he means hauling loads, exploring rough back roads, camping, and towing....the CT will be a clear winner if it can deliver the features we were promised.

And all of THAT aside....the single most important feature in any EV is it's range. The CT is a clear winner when it comes to range, thanks to its highly aerodynamic design. This is exactly where the other trucks fail, and it will kill their EPA range. Tesla is getting rid of the door handles, mirrors, open bed, and rigid suspension for a reason. It's range.

I think in the EV Truck space, Cybertruck will be a huge hit. The fact that it's ugly won't make a difference. This is a utility vehicle. It's much like the Honda Element, which was decried as ugly and unlovable when it was released in 2003. Now here we are 18 years later, and they are one of the more popular vehicles on the road. They're popular because when it comes to utility, they are nearly unmatched. I think CT will do the same.

 

[Ogre]

I think one of the fundamental problems businesses have is they dismiss and idea because of the potential cost of failing. What they miss is the potential profits from success.

So far, the mainstream auto press and auto companies have been almost completely wrong about Tesla so it's hard to take them too seriously. After a couple years, the looks of the Cybertruck will be normalized and people won't even bat an eye seeing one. Once the public acclimates to the Cybertruck, then the rest of the auto industry is going to have to try and figure out how to compete with a truck that costs $20,000 less, charges faster, weighs 1500 pounds less, and gets 200 miles more range.

Of course, I'm obviously biased here. Most of us here are. Maybe we'll see a few (tens of) thousands of Cybertrucks for launch, then demand will just fall off a cliff and the truck will belly flop hard. Then I have an oddball collectors truck.

 

[Throwcomputer]

Sales will be 3-5 million worldwide in the first 5 years. Then 1-200k/yr thereafter. With Tesla having enough foresight to release a traditional truck styled model to run concurrently and be released in 3-4 years just when the tail end of the bulk of cyber truck demand is met and the preorder sales have been finally fulfilled. Therefore they keep the Elon pet project for him and the smallish fanbase around, yet start making a boat load on more traditional truck users who learn quickly that the Tesla trucks are way better than the competition.

 

[Crissa]

The opinion piece was written by someone who didn't get an invite to the unveiling.

-Crissa

 

[Diehard]

I wonder if Elon raised the price of each trim by $20K, would our opinions of CT be exactly the same?

 

[Crissa]

I wonder if Elon raised the price of each trim by $20K, would our opinions of CT be exactly the same?

Well, that would put it out of my price range.

-Crissa

 

[Sirfun]

I wonder if Elon raised the price of each trim by $20K, would our opinions of CT be exactly the same?

DUH, we've got a guy that said he won't buy a CT without door handles. $20K more would piss off more than a few with reservations. That would be a 50% increase on a $39,900 single motor, or 40% on a Dual.

 

[Throwcomputer]

And he would be pricing himself out of the majority of his smallish market. Then he would be committing to the idea that he doesn't care if it flops, cause he's got one.

 

[JBee]

Big fat lol.
Once CT is on the road no-one will be going back to "conventional" design. Styles change all the time, and this is just the latest change.

As for being a sales success the CT will be its own biggest enemy, in that reservations exceed production for a while, and after they have caught up many won't feel the need to buy a new CT because it will be that durable.

 

[John K]

Well, that would put it out of my price range.

-Crissa

You just need to be extra convincing with the spouse as to why you both need to eat baloney sandwiches for the next 4 years

 

[Sirfun]

Big fat lol.
Once CT is on the road no-one will be going back to "conventional" design. Styles change all the time, and this is just the latest change.

As for being a sales success the CT will be its own biggest enemy, in that reservations exceed production for a while, and after they have caught up many won't feel the need to buy a new CT because it will be that durable.

Technology changes, and leading edge technology changes even quicker. But also Tesla will build a new EV van and lots of people/ businesses will want EV vans the size of a Sprinter.

 

[HaulingAss]

People predicting the Cybertruck will flop don't understand how the world works. People want to get a good value for their money and the Cybertruck offers more value than any other truck out there. It also looks better but some people are slow to figure that out. Most of them will come around even though a few old men will remain who refuse to adopt the superior product simply because it doesn't look like their previous truck. They will promise to go to their grave without buying a "freak truck" even if it means making their current truck last beyond it's years. And some of them will actually have kept their promise by the time they are buried six feet under. This will not put a damper on Cybertruck sales.

Elon knows the Cybertruck will not flop, he's just being humble and will let the sales demand speak for itself. He doesn't want or need to convince anyone it's going to be a smashing success but sales will steadily climb for at least 8 years. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cybertruck still being supply constrained even after production reaches over half a million units a year. Sales will basically depend upon how quickly Tesla (and their battery suppliers) can ramp 4680 cell production.

My money is on it being an epic seller by 2024. Of course they will sell all they can make between now and then as well.

 

[JBee]

Technology changes, and leading edge technology changes even quicker. But also Tesla will build a new EV van and lots of people/ businesses will want EV vans the size of a Sprinter.

Agreed, including me.

I already have a new Crafter (better than the old base on the Sprinter IMHO) and couldn't live without it, as they say. Being able to carry 15cbm of cargo without the need to tow a trailer means I've cut fuel consumption compared to the landcruiser by 60%, and travel faster without having to tie everything down. Easier to park on shopping runs too.

But the CT is in a fringe area for me, because it also allows for more than 3 adult passengers, and has enough space and payload for our normal shops in the frunk and bed. A CT van would work for me as well, but I'm not sure how negative the extra aero on a EV van will be for long distance highway trips. For in the city short trips at low speeds the EV van will be fine, but I need high speed long range trips one way of about 600km with one charge stop. I expect a long range EV van to be more expensive than a CT, and only offer marginal extra utility.

 

[firsttruck]

People predicting the Cybertruck will flop don't understand how the world works. People want to get a good value for their money and the Cybertruck offers more value than any other truck out there. It also looks better but some people are slow to figure that out. Most of them will come around even though a few old men will remain who refuse to adopt the superior product simply because it doesn't look like their previous truck. They will promise to go to their grave without buying a "freak truck" even if it means making their current truck last beyond it's years. And some of them will actually have kept their promise by the time they are buried six feet under.
...

Yup, I am sure there were people like that in 1910s & 1920s that would not buy a Ford Model T or any of the other gall darn machines. Their pappy and their pappy's pappy used a horse & wagon so that is how things should be. Those wrist breaking, noisy, smoke spewing machines look weird too. Look nothing like a fine horse with it's shape sculpted by god. With their horse they did not have to buy gas from some out of stater or worse a furriener company from the middle-east. All they need do is let "Ole Bessy" loose in the yard to eat & she is ready to go the next morning. No wasted trip to some special store (ie. gas station). If the wagon gets too beat-up looking they will just go out into the back yard and cut down a 100 year old cherry tree to make a new wagon.

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