Long Range RWD Cybertruck launched! 362 miles range w/ soft tonneau ($62,490 w/ tax credit)

[YDR37]

The availability dates for the single-motor RWD version of the Cybertruck keep getting pushed back.

- When the RWD version was announced in April, delivery was scheduled for "June-July 2025"

- Then it was revised to "July-August 2025".

- Now it's "6-8 Weeks", which implies August-September 2025.

Maybe I missed it, but I'm not seeing any complaints about the uncertainty and delay. This could mean (1) that RWD customers are unusually patient and understanding; or else (2) that there simply aren't a lot of RWD customers out there.

Yeah, it’s #2.

If it's #2, then that could possibly explain the ongoing delay. Maybe Tesla doesn't want to modify their production line to crank out RWDs in volume until they have a certain minimum number of orders in hand. Maybe it's taking some time to reach that minimum.

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[ABILISK]

Actually, 2025 Rivians aren't eligible for the tax credit (they apparently don”t meet all battery sourcing requirements). So Rivian pricing should not be affected.

Some GM pickups (Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV) will be losing the credit, like the Lightning and Cybertruck.

Then there’s the Hummer EV, but IIRC, that’s too expensive for the credit regardless of battery chemistry.

 

[YDR37]

Then there’s the Hummer EV, but IIRC, that’s too expensive for the credit regardless of battery chemistry.

The cap for the tax credit is $80,000 MSRP. The current MSRP for the GMC Hummer EV (both the SUV and the pickup) is $96,550. As with the Cyberbeast or Rivian Quad, the Hummer EV MSRP is well above the cap.

 

[ABILISK]

The cap for the tax credit is $80,000 MSRP. The current MSRP for the GMC Hummer EV (both the SUV and the pickup) is $96,550. Like the Cyberbeast or Rivian Quad, the cost is well above the cap.

Insane price for a dual motor EV. Would you take a Beast or a 2X Hummer? I know what my answer would be.

 

[WHIZZARD OF OZ]

The RWD CT is currently priced at $69,990 in US Dollars (not including the $7,500 US tax credit or gas savings). That appears to be equivalent to around $107,000 in Australian dollars (not including on-road costs or petrol savings). Is that a sufficiently sweet price point? My impression is that it is still high relative to ICE options in Australia, like the Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux.

Tesla is planning to sell Cybertrucks in Saudi Arabia later this year, which would be the first market outside North America. But they aren't taking orders yet, and pricing hasn't been announced. It might be more complicated to produce CTs for Australia, because presumably they would need to have the steering wheel on the right.

At 'Jeffs Shed' l parked my pink racer alongside the TOCA stand last Saturday and strolled around the EV Expo to sit inside the id BUZZ .... it's an OK vehicle but l haven't looked into it's specs for Down under. Drive away on that vehicle as a demo spesh was ~$99K. So CT @$100K is a no brainer in that class. Perhaps tradies and florists might think it their Dream Car?!?! ?
As l understand, Norway has given approval to the CT but only as a three seat config......Go Figure!?!?
It's a START ..... Tesla parts Cost GRIND and Aussie ADR approvals yet to happen.... TOCA members told me when l joined, that they collectively believe 2027 Christmas Day for CT Deliveries!
Santa's gonna need a BIG STOCKING.
I still maintain Christmas Day 2026....but I've always been a BIT Ambitious and over enthusiastic

 

[HaulingAss]

If it's #2, then that could possibly explain the ongoing delay. Maybe Tesla doesn't want to modify their production line to crank out RWDs in volume until they have a certain minimum number of orders in hand. Maybe it's taking some time to reach that minimum.

I think Tesla designed the release of the Long Range version specifically to highlight just how much you get with the most popular version, the Dual Motor, to squeeze people who were waiting for the Single Motor to pull the trigger on a dual motor.

Look how this highlights the value of the Dual Motor, no ventilated pleather seats, no powered tonneau cover (or any tonneau cover for that matter), no Smuggler's Bay in the bed, no fully adjustable air Air Suspension with over 16" of Extract ground clearance, no rear screen or rear heated seats, no HEPA filter, 8 less speakers, etc. This list of differences really highlights the value offered by the Dual Motor. Especially the lack of air suspension and that beautiful fully automatic tonneau cover that can lock up your stuff. All for what? Just to save a few thousand dollars while still giving up all the stuff we knew about like 4x4, power, performance and towing capacity, etc.

Yeah, the RWD won't be a big seller with all these cuts to the truck we know and love, but it probably pushed some hold-outs into the Dual Motor camp! In time, Tesla will adjust the RWD offerings to what the market really wants, probably mostly commercial/fleet trucks. But I think for now, it's still mostly about the AWD and the Beast.

 

[YDR37]

I think Tesla designed the release of the Long Range version specifically to highlight just how much you get with the most popular version, the Dual Motor, to squeeze people who were waiting for the Single Motor to pull the trigger on a dual motor. ...

Yeah, the RWD won't be a big seller with all these cuts to the truck we know and love, but it probably pushed some hold-outs into the Dual Motor camp!

If this is Tesla's thinking, then the optimal approach would be to offer an RWD version that is so unattractive that literally no one would buy it. This would have the desired effect of making the AWD version look more appealing, while saving Tesla from the hassle and expense of actually manufacturing and servicing the RWD.

My guess is that Tesla came close, but did not quite achieve the optimal outcome. The good news is that the RWD certainly does make the AWD look like a better deal. The bad news is that a few people apparently put down deposits for the RWD anyway.

This leaves Tesla with two options. Either (1) manufacture a small number of RWDs to fulfill the orders, or alternatively (2) keep the RWD on the order page to make the AWD look good, but put delivery on indefinite hold, then eventually cancel the RWD and refund the deposits. Option 2 could be described as the "Range Extender Strategy", and it's probably the more cost-effective approach.

This thread was started on April 10, 2025, when the RWD version was "launched". Three months later, delivery has been pushed back twice. The order page currently indicates that the RWD is still "6-8 Weeks" from delivery, which means late August 2025 at the earliest.

 

[YDR37]

The two biggest developments in EV pickups in 2025 (so far) are the Tesla Cybertruck RWD and the Rivian second-generation R1T Quad. But it's interesting how the two companies went in completely opposite directions in their thinking for these new models.

Tesla: We already have dual-motor and tri-motor versions of the Cybertruck. So the next step is to release a single-motor version that lacks performance and loses all the cool features. The priority is to achieve the lowest possible cost.

Rivian: We already have dual-motor and tri-motor versions of the R1T. So the next step is to release a quad-motor version with 1,025 hp and 1,198 lb-ft of torque that runs the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds and does tank turns in place. Who cares about the cost?

 

[Mini2nut]

My hunch is that RWD pre-order volume has not matched leadership expectations. Another reason could be a supplier issue that states a minimum number of part orders, conventional shocks for example, in the vendor contract. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Tesla drops the RWD trim OR lowers the price point.

Musk himself stated that they need to make the CT more affordable. The CT was priced way above 2019 estimates and Tesla lost virtually all of the original reservation holders when 2024 MSRP's were announced. Remember, the RWD trim was originally estimated to cost $39,900.

I feel that de-contenting the RWD trim was a smart business decision to make it more affordable but the value proposition simply isn't there at $70k. RWD buyers would be losing two major features that stand out on the CT. The adjustable air suspension and the retractable tonneau cover.

 

[YDR37]

Musk himself stated that they need to make the CT more affordable. The CT was priced way above 2019 estimates and Tesla lost virtually all of the original reservation holders when 2024 MSRP's were announced. Remember, the RWD trim was originally estimated to cost $39,900.

The original Cybertruck pricing, including the $39,900 RWD trim, was announced in 2019. For comparison, at that time, the most popular version of the Model 3 was the RWD Standard Range Plus, priced at $41,190. In other words, in 2019, the RWD CT was priced like an RWD Model 3.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the RWD Model 3 is now available for only $42,490 (not including tax credit or gas savings). That's only slightly higher than the $41,190 cost in 2019 (even though the range is now much better).

The RWD CT, on the other hand, has gone from an estimated price of $39,990 in 2019 to an actual price of $69,990 in 2025 -- an increase of 75%. No one today would put the RWD CT in the same price category as the RWD M3. The bottom line is that the RWD CT was not realistically priced in 2019 -- it should have been apparent, even then, that it was going to cost more than an RWD Model 3.

 

[WHIZZARD OF OZ]

If this is Tesla's thinking, then the optimal approach would be to offer an RWD version that is so unattractive that literally no one would buy it. This would have the desired effect of making the AWD version look more appealing, while saving Tesla from the hassle and expense of actually manufacturing and servicing the RWD.

My guess is that Tesla came close, but did not quite achieve the optimal outcome. The good news is that the RWD certainly does make the AWD look like a better deal. The bad news is that a few people apparently put down deposits for the RWD anyway.

This leaves Tesla with two options. Either (1) manufacture a small number of RWDs to fulfill the orders, or alternatively (2) keep the RWD on the order page to make the AWD look good, but put delivery on indefinite hold, then eventually cancel the RWD and refund the deposits. Option 2 could be described as the "Range Extender Strategy", and it's probably the more cost-effective approach.

This thread was started on April 10, 2025, when the RWD version was "launched". Three months later, delivery has been pushed back twice. The order page currently indicates that the RWD is still "6-8 Weeks" from delivery, which means late August 2025 at the earliest.

I have to restate my position....CT RWD is looking Bloody AMA2!NG from where l sit. Imagine a KOOL Pick-up with the safety of a WATER TANK!
Have you ever run full send into a topped up Water Tank ....the corrugated kind don't fare so 'WELL'

 

[Sjohnson20]

Pretty sure they got like 3 orders for these haha

Who would buy it? It's not significantly cheaper. It lacks most of the good features.

Wouldn't be shocked if it actually is cancelled but that would be a bad look for Tesla. Or maybe they just make some this year and pull it after that.

Strangely if you go to the order page and select inventory the long range shows up as available now. Wonder what that's about?

 

[Mini2nut]

The RWD webpage will be interesting to watch over the next two months.

Will Tesla lower the MSRP to increase demand? Will Tesla drop the RWD Long Range choice due to lack of demand?

If they drop the trim it may give the green light to yet another media CT feeding frenzy.

 

[pricedm]

If you're price-motivated, buy/lease the Cybertruck now with the available $7,500 federal tax credit. October 1, 2025 and later will be a sad day for EV sales....

Highly doubtful any RWD Cybertrucks will be delivered by 9/30/2025.

 

[hemiarch]

If you're price-motivated, buy/lease the Cybertruck now with the available $7,500 federal tax credit. October 1, 2025 and later will be a sad day for EV sales....

Highly doubtful any RWD Cybertrucks will be delivered by 9/30/2025.

Yes! Get an extra motor and a BUNCH of crucial features that make the truck what it is on Uncle Sam while you can is my advice too.

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