How can the Tri-Motor Cybertruck at $70k possibly be real?

CybertruckAgent

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I feel like the error everyone is making in this comparison is the assumption that the price charged is directly related to the cost to produce. This is inaccurate. The price charged is directly related to an assessment of what people will pay ... And that has more to do with exclusivity. Don;t assume, incorrectly, that you are paying for the cost of something based on its true value, you are paying for intrinsic value... Tesla is going to charge what people pay. They are making more in the end because they aren't charging 140,000 for a tri-motor that less than half would order when they are charging half of 140,000 for easily double that number of orders. It is also going to cost them less to produce a Cybertruck eventually. Easier to produce and no paint. Bigger tires don't necessarily cost more, I'll show you my bill for much smaller performance tires if you want to see....

And a sports car or sports sedan is not a truck, in spite of the marketing and what people want to think. It's going to be awesome, but it's not going to replace my Porsche.

OP you should totally understand all this based on also owning a 911...

SS
Yep, they are also pricing in line with the market. CT prices are not a direct correlation to build cost, they are based on comparable trucks from the big 3. Elon intends to offer better performance and undercut competitions prices to grab market share in America’s most popular segment. Remember the top 3 best selling vehicles in America are all full size pickups.
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Rick'sCT

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Yep, they are also pricing in line with the market. CT prices are not a direct correlation to build cost, they are based on comparable trucks from the big 3. Elon intends to offer better performance and undercut competitions prices to grab market share in America’s most popular segment. Remember the top 3 best selling vehicles in America are all full size pickups.
I agree that pricing needs to take into account what the competition is charging. Although I don't those ICE trucks as actual competition. It also needs to make $.
Lower cost to build, no money spent on advertising, no huge dealership network.... I see a lot of cost savings. Offering the CT for the same price or lower than ICE trucks is why Tesla is going to change the landscape of the American highway.
 

Frankenblob

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FSD popped around 2.5k. So by the time the CT is available in whatever configuration, rest assured it will be 10-15+k more.
 

VolklKatana

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if you indicated on your reservation you wanted FSD, then your price should be locked in. If you add it later you will pay whatever the current rate is. This was done for the MY as well, so there is a precedence for it...
 

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I just can’t wrap my head around how Tesla is going to charge “only” $70k for the tri-motor CT when the refreshed Model S Plaid+ Is going for. $145,000 to start.

They both are going to share the same battery architecture (and have the same 500+ miles of range). They both have air suspension. They both have three motors. They both presumably have the same front screen, AC system, software etc. If anything, the CT has expenses beyond that of the S. Larger tires, More glass, the vault door and mechanism to name a few, not to mention a brand new factory that will need its costs recouped.

I just don’t see how Tesla is going to deliver that truck at less than half the price of what they’re selling the Plaid+ For anytime soon. Especially when the Plaid+ has been pushed out to mid-next year. Either the Tri-Motor CT is going to be the deal o the century, or it’s going to be quite a long ways out before we see it.

What am I missing here? Is there some variable I’m not considering that justifies the difference in price between the two vehicles?
For the same reason the roadster costs 250k

volume production = less cost.
 


Blue Steel

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This topic is another reason why I think there's NO WAY they start production with the tri-motor.

But that could just be my dual motor reservation talking...
 

WFrazier

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I loved so many of these comments.

May Tesla crank out those CT efficiently so I can get one soon even though I am at the tail end of the waiting list.
 

Mr.Dee

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When thinking about cost, most people default to the big items like sheet metal for the body and motors/engines and wheels/tires.

What people usually forget is the nuts and bolts, literally. For structural attachments, they don't go down to Menards and grab some steel bolts for pennies a piece. It's very common to use AN or NAS or even MS fasteners for larger attachments that cost between $10-$20 per bolt. Especially where there are galvanic issues or exposure to elements. The casting removes dozens, maybe hundreds, of fasteners per vehicle.

In addition to fasteners, the casting also removes the needs for coatings, sealants, and adhesives between multiple-part assemblies or assemblies made of various metals or carbon. Simple things like adhesives can be very expensive as they are purchased in drums and require special equipment to extract and apply. The material and labor costs can easily be in the thousands per vehicle.

Not to mention that a lot of these materials have an "expiration date" when used in goods that are sold to the public. Not that the materials actually go bad, but if they pass that date they can't be used. It's not uncommon for entire drums or batches of these materials to go to waste under normal circumstances.

The casting also improves repeatability. You may not realize it, but not every part made for a car gets installed. Many "perfectly good" parts are scrapped after manufacture because of tolerance and other issues. The castings remove that concern as well.

Consider that paint can cost upwards of $20k per vehicle (depending on the process and which market it's being sold in).

Tesla is doing everything they can to get rid of the expensive stuff that isn't necessarily needed when you change the game so drastically.
 
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Idaho_7

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To reach the daily use worker, contractor, utility services, city and county gov't, etc, with CT's Tri-Motor load carrying and towing capabilities "Price" is key.

This group will convert if affordable, if dependable, if cost effective, if resale value is there.

Also the Pricing is necessary, (no matter what reasonable cost to the company), in order to gain volume sales quickly and to beat the future competition to the punch.
 


OneLapper

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Remember that the markup on pickups and SUVs is far greater than on cars.

Hell, in 2018 Ford said that it will wind down making cars! Why?? Because people spend $60k on a F150 that makes Ford way more revenue than a $25k Focus.

I saw a 2020 Ford F150 with a sticker price of $99k!!!!!!!! And it wasn't a Raptor. I wish I checked it out more, esp. since it was in our warehouse for a while, but nonetheless, it had a sticker price of $99k.

I imagine that Tesla is pricing the CT inline with the 3 and Y. The S and X are low volume high margin cars, the CT is the inverse.
 

TheLastStarfighter

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I don't find the price of the CT3 to be that strange, so much as the price of the CT1. The large, stainless steal body, trick bed cover, armor glass, big wheels, nice interior, air suspension... all the standard stuff. That seems expensive to me. So I find the base price shocking. An extra 20k for more battery and an extra motor? That makes sense but the low starting point for a vehicle like that seems like crazy talk.
 

Ratso

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I thinking people who can afford a $150,000 sports car don't want a $70,000 work truck.
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