TESLA SHOULD CANCEL THE CYBERTRUCK

[Cyberman]

Looks like a Honda Ridgeline, but comes with a free flashlight in the door, don't forget about the flashlight.

Flashlight wow.

Sponsored

 

[Ogre]

How long before someone rips off one of those tunnel doors when they don’t realize it’s open? Hopefully they have break-away hinges.

It’s more or less inevitable someone will forget. As a cyclist, we all know someone who put their car in the garage with a bike on the roof. Hopefully those little hatches have sensors and reminder alarms.

 

[FutureTrunks]

Aside from being first to market (which doesn’t mean much at their extremely low volume) name one significant feature that the R1T has better than the CT. And no one cares about a flashlight in the door or a secret compartment behind the seat. I am talking about capabilities and actual performance.

854hp to start this off. Since elon and co don’t bother to give us reservation holders any damn information.

 

[LDRHAWKE]

TESLA SHOULD CANCEL THE CYBERTRUCK
The Competition Has Already Beaten The EV To The Market, With Better Products
by

Manoli Katakis October 18, 2021, 4:03 pm

Image via Tesla

Tesla has given the auto industry establishment a lot to worry about. Here are a few examples: a complete rethinking of how to sell a car, with no franchised dealerships; the ability to keep the vehicle’s software fresh through OTA updates; semi-autonomous driving; wild stock prices. The irreverent nature of Tesla has favorably disrupted the auto industry, causing a shakeup in how business is done, period. It’s had just about every large global automaker biting on the bait. But the Cybertruck continues to be a joke. And as the clock continues to tick forward, there’s really no reason for the automaker to continue committing to an inferior product, compared to three vehicles that have emerged as frontrunners to take it on. Vehicles that have already started to get in the hands of customers.

Image via RivianRivian R1T

Perhaps the biggest threat to Tesla comes from well-funded EV automaker Rivian. A new-age automaker that took its time ironing out its inaugural productsbefore getting them into the hands of customers, the Rivian R1T has proven to be more than competent in extreme conditions, validating its 800 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque by entering off-road events like the Rebelle Rally, and crossing the Trans-America trail. Where is Tesla in validating the Cybertruck, two years after revealing it?

When it comes to the awareness of Rivian and its products, that’s probably where Tesla still has the Michigan-turned-California automaker beat. But that’s probably because Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hasn’t been on The Joe Rogan Experience. Or Cathie Wood decreeing absurd share price targets for the automaker on CNBC (yet). But delivering on product promises, on time, is also why a car company is so much more than a cult of personality.

Image via GMC.GMC Hummer EV

GM has made a big splash by resurrecting the Hummer name, and its macho proportions and radical power numbers (1,000 hp!) have the electric pickup truck putting off quite the vibe. The truck is also set to begin production by the end of the year, just behind the Rivian R1T, and seemingly well ahead of the Tesla Cybertuck.

And this new Hummer EV isn’t some badge-engineered compliance car, either. It shares zero parts with any existing General Motors vehicle. And, when you watch the Hummer EV do its Crabwalk dance in person, there’s no denying that the electric truck is pretty damn cool. Cool enough to where even Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted to rethinking the design of the Cybertruck, which would incorporate rear wheel steering, at minimum.

Image via Ford

.Ford F-150 Lightning

Where the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T seem more positioned to stand out in a crowd, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning gets things down to brass tacks. For its part, Ford Motor Company has gone as far as to admit that Tesla is the catalyst for its EV push, but has focused its market positioning of the F-150 Lightning truck as one that’s built to work, and what it can do on the job site. Stats like being able to power a house for three days, or that it stands to be the most affordable electric pickup truck on the market when it launches in early 2022, are helping the electric truck garner the attention of fleet buyers, with enough reservation deposits to motivate Ford to double its production targets next year. And, for better or worse, President Biden drove one.

While the Ford F-150 Lightning may not have the thick stainless steel body that the Tesla Cybertruck may have, Tesla lacks the decades of learning and customer data on people who use their trucks for work, which Ford has in spades.

Image via Twitter

.How Much Of The Tesla Cybertruck Was Just A Cash Grab?

As of this writing, customers that have put down a Tesla Cybertruck reservation deposit have not been notified that the vehicle has been or will be canceled, so the interest-free loan generated from reservation holders remains in circulation. But with the automaker pulling the original specs and pricing of the Cybertruck from its website recently (despite still accepting reservations), something appears off. And since Tesla has decided to eliminate its communications department a while ago, we’re left drawing our own conclusions.

Will Tesla ask reservation holders to go for something else? Perhaps only if a Cybertruck 2.0 doesn’t reveal itself. But like the new Tesla Roadster, the Cybertruck seems to have been demoted from industry disruptor, to yet another simple fan-boy fantasy.

Image via Tesla

“Better Products” From The Competition

The genuine flaws of the Tesla Cybertruck appear to be that it takes in zero account of any pragmatic use. Although, the Cybertruck is an incredible exercise in designing a vehicle that can circumvent just about every single transportation law in the DOT’s sizable rulebook.

Because of its gross vehicle weight rating putting it in the Class 2B category, it does not require the following:

• airbags
• a shape optimized for pedestrian safety
• a crumple zone for crash safety
• NHTSA crash testing
• EPA electric range testing

Other vehicles like the Hummer EV and Rivian R1T may be classified in the same gross vehicle weight category, but GM and Rivian at least know better to implement these safety features into the design of their electric trucks, regardless the regulatory framework. It’s just good business practice, as the product would appear unfinished otherwise.

Add to it that the Cybertruck body is stainless steel, Tesla could save well into nine figures by simply forgoing any need to paint it over its lifecycle. This is based off what traditional OEMs have been seen investing over time just on paint tooling alone.

All in all, the Tesla Cybertruck would cost a fraction to build in comparison to what General Motors and Ford have earmarked for tooling and engineering of its upcoming electric vehicle offerings. See investments at the GM Factory Zero and Spring Hill plants, as well as Ford’s recent Kentucky and Rouge Complex announcements. To that end, the Tesla Cybertruck deserves incredible praise, and similar techniques should be applied where appropriate across the industry. But beyond this, the Cybertruck feels like an inferior product compared to its rivals as it stands, which bring more functionality and thought-out touches to the table. To the point where I’m not sure why anybody would want one, beyond the clout.

Was The Tesla Cybertruck A Ruse?

Telsa revealed the hulking Cybertruck thinking what, exactly? That a bunch of Bay Area sociopaths are going to suddenly trade in their Model 3 and master parallel parking a Class 2B pickup truck next to a tent colony? That the Texas brodozer crowd is going to suddenly trade in lifted diesel trucks for something that can’t roll coal? Are coastal elites going to behave poorly on Twitter when it doesn’t fit in a parking garage, or there’s nowhere to charge one?

It’s one thing to put a refundable $100 deposit down for kicks. It’s another to live with such an automobile.

Somewhere between November of 2019 and now, the Tesla Cybertruck as it is has stopped making sense. And based on what we’re seeing from GM, Ford and Rivian, it’s time for Elon Musk and company to go back to formula. That’s not to say that Tesla shouldn’t or can’t build a truck. Or that people wouldn’t buy a Tesla truck. It just should be a good one.

Image via Tesla

Written by Manoli Katakis
Detroit Region SCCA Member and founder of MC&T. Automotive Media Jedi Knight. Not yet the rank of Master.

https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/tesla-should-cancel-the-cybertruck/

I cannot believe how easily you guys get sucked in by a card carrying member of UAW…?

 

[PhilEsq]

I think the article was supposed to be published on April 1.

 

[RetiredRonTesla]

TESLA SHOULD CANCEL THE CYBERTRUCK
The Competition Has Already Beaten The EV To The Market, With Better Products
by

Manoli Katakis October 18, 2021, 4:03 pm

Image via Tesla

Tesla has given the auto industry establishment a lot to worry about. Here are a few examples: a complete rethinking of how to sell a car, with no franchised dealerships; the ability to keep the vehicle’s software fresh through OTA updates; semi-autonomous driving; wild stock prices. The irreverent nature of Tesla has favorably disrupted the auto industry, causing a shakeup in how business is done, period. It’s had just about every large global automaker biting on the bait. But the Cybertruck continues to be a joke. And as the clock continues to tick forward, there’s really no reason for the automaker to continue committing to an inferior product, compared to three vehicles that have emerged as frontrunners to take it on. Vehicles that have already started to get in the hands of customers.

Image via RivianRivian R1T

Perhaps the biggest threat to Tesla comes from well-funded EV automaker Rivian. A new-age automaker that took its time ironing out its inaugural productsbefore getting them into the hands of customers, the Rivian R1T has proven to be more than competent in extreme conditions, validating its 800 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque by entering off-road events like the Rebelle Rally, and crossing the Trans-America trail. Where is Tesla in validating the Cybertruck, two years after revealing it?

When it comes to the awareness of Rivian and its products, that’s probably where Tesla still has the Michigan-turned-California automaker beat. But that’s probably because Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hasn’t been on The Joe Rogan Experience. Or Cathie Wood decreeing absurd share price targets for the automaker on CNBC (yet). But delivering on product promises, on time, is also why a car company is so much more than a cult of personality.

Image via GMC.GMC Hummer EV

GM has made a big splash by resurrecting the Hummer name, and its macho proportions and radical power numbers (1,000 hp!) have the electric pickup truck putting off quite the vibe. The truck is also set to begin production by the end of the year, just behind the Rivian R1T, and seemingly well ahead of the Tesla Cybertuck.

And this new Hummer EV isn’t some badge-engineered compliance car, either. It shares zero parts with any existing General Motors vehicle. And, when you watch the Hummer EV do its Crabwalk dance in person, there’s no denying that the electric truck is pretty damn cool. Cool enough to where even Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted to rethinking the design of the Cybertruck, which would incorporate rear wheel steering, at minimum.

Image via Ford

.Ford F-150 Lightning

Where the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T seem more positioned to stand out in a crowd, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning gets things down to brass tacks. For its part, Ford Motor Company has gone as far as to admit that Tesla is the catalyst for its EV push, but has focused its market positioning of the F-150 Lightning truck as one that’s built to work, and what it can do on the job site. Stats like being able to power a house for three days, or that it stands to be the most affordable electric pickup truck on the market when it launches in early 2022, are helping the electric truck garner the attention of fleet buyers, with enough reservation deposits to motivate Ford to double its production targets next year. And, for better or worse, President Biden drove one.

While the Ford F-150 Lightning may not have the thick stainless steel body that the Tesla Cybertruck may have, Tesla lacks the decades of learning and customer data on people who use their trucks for work, which Ford has in spades.

Image via Twitter

.How Much Of The Tesla Cybertruck Was Just A Cash Grab?

As of this writing, customers that have put down a Tesla Cybertruck reservation deposit have not been notified that the vehicle has been or will be canceled, so the interest-free loan generated from reservation holders remains in circulation. But with the automaker pulling the original specs and pricing of the Cybertruck from its website recently (despite still accepting reservations), something appears off. And since Tesla has decided to eliminate its communications department a while ago, we’re left drawing our own conclusions.

Will Tesla ask reservation holders to go for something else? Perhaps only if a Cybertruck 2.0 doesn’t reveal itself. But like the new Tesla Roadster, the Cybertruck seems to have been demoted from industry disruptor, to yet another simple fan-boy fantasy.

Image via Tesla

“Better Products” From The Competition

The genuine flaws of the Tesla Cybertruck appear to be that it takes in zero account of any pragmatic use. Although, the Cybertruck is an incredible exercise in designing a vehicle that can circumvent just about every single transportation law in the DOT’s sizable rulebook.

Because of its gross vehicle weight rating putting it in the Class 2B category, it does not require the following:

• airbags
• a shape optimized for pedestrian safety
• a crumple zone for crash safety
• NHTSA crash testing
• EPA electric range testing

Other vehicles like the Hummer EV and Rivian R1T may be classified in the same gross vehicle weight category, but GM and Rivian at least know better to implement these safety features into the design of their electric trucks, regardless the regulatory framework. It’s just good business practice, as the product would appear unfinished otherwise.

Add to it that the Cybertruck body is stainless steel, Tesla could save well into nine figures by simply forgoing any need to paint it over its lifecycle. This is based off what traditional OEMs have been seen investing over time just on paint tooling alone.

All in all, the Tesla Cybertruck would cost a fraction to build in comparison to what General Motors and Ford have earmarked for tooling and engineering of its upcoming electric vehicle offerings. See investments at the GM Factory Zero and Spring Hill plants, as well as Ford’s recent Kentucky and Rouge Complex announcements. To that end, the Tesla Cybertruck deserves incredible praise, and similar techniques should be applied where appropriate across the industry. But beyond this, the Cybertruck feels like an inferior product compared to its rivals as it stands, which bring more functionality and thought-out touches to the table. To the point where I’m not sure why anybody would want one, beyond the clout.

Was The Tesla Cybertruck A Ruse?

Telsa revealed the hulking Cybertruck thinking what, exactly? That a bunch of Bay Area sociopaths are going to suddenly trade in their Model 3 and master parallel parking a Class 2B pickup truck next to a tent colony? That the Texas brodozer crowd is going to suddenly trade in lifted diesel trucks for something that can’t roll coal? Are coastal elites going to behave poorly on Twitter when it doesn’t fit in a parking garage, or there’s nowhere to charge one?

It’s one thing to put a refundable $100 deposit down for kicks. It’s another to live with such an automobile.

Somewhere between November of 2019 and now, the Tesla Cybertruck as it is has stopped making sense. And based on what we’re seeing from GM, Ford and Rivian, it’s time for Elon Musk and company to go back to formula. That’s not to say that Tesla shouldn’t or can’t build a truck. Or that people wouldn’t buy a Tesla truck. It just should be a good one.

Image via Tesla

Written by Manoli Katakis
Detroit Region SCCA Member and founder of MC&T. Automotive Media Jedi Knight. Not yet the rank of Master.

https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/tesla-should-cancel-the-cybertruck/

LOL Standup comedy! When CT is unleashed articles like this will be seen not to have aged very well.

 

[darinduvall]

I think reading this "article" caused me to actually lose some brain cells.

 

[SwampNut]

Thanks everyone, now I'm dumber than when I woke up.

 

[John K]

The sidewall looks too tall to load over. I don't get this argument. Are Rivians shorter than the average truck now?

-Crissa

All relative. I can place items over the side. My wife cannot. Granted, ther is a step stool in the kitchen and I am still called to place items on the top shelves.

 

[kbright]

For everyone he talks into canceling, that just gets me closer to getting my wonderful cyber truck that will have even more enhancements since the day I ordered it. So much FUD from the haters.

 

[intimidator]

It is almost 2 years since I put in an order for a TriMotor Cybertruck.

If there was any chance they would get to my # before the end of 2023, I would hang in there and take delivery. Hey, what is waiting 4 years for an EV truck?

Alas, I think it is a real longshot, so I will need to get a new alternative vehicle in about 6 months.

PS I really think it is going to be hard for Tesla to pump out Cybertrucks soon enough to not agitate a lot of folks that have been waiting years. While the first one may come off the line at the end of 2023, many many buyers will have to wait until well into 2024....if not longer.

 

[chalupacabre]

In fact, Tesla just isn’t very good at this whole electric vehicle thing or electricity. They should probably just sell off their car, battery, and AI bits because they all pretty much suck. That way they can focus on what they are really good at.

Seats. Tesla should start reselling their seats. They are quite comfortable, heated, and adjustable. Perhaps if they made a recliner they could make a killing in the furniture business.

SAVE U MONEY!!!!

 

[Old Pro]

TESLA SHOULD CANCEL THE CYBERTRUCK
The Competition Has Already Beaten The EV To The Market, With Better Products
by

Manoli Katakis October 18, 2021, 4:03 pm

Image via Tesla

Tesla has given the auto industry establishment a lot to worry about. Here are a few examples: a complete rethinking of how to sell a car, with no franchised dealerships; the ability to keep the vehicle’s software fresh through OTA updates; semi-autonomous driving; wild stock prices. The irreverent nature of Tesla has favorably disrupted the auto industry, causing a shakeup in how business is done, period. It’s had just about every large global automaker biting on the bait. But the Cybertruck continues to be a joke. And as the clock continues to tick forward, there’s really no reason for the automaker to continue committing to an inferior product, compared to three vehicles that have emerged as frontrunners to take it on. Vehicles that have already started to get in the hands of customers.

Image via RivianRivian R1T

Perhaps the biggest threat to Tesla comes from well-funded EV automaker Rivian. A new-age automaker that took its time ironing out its inaugural productsbefore getting them into the hands of customers, the Rivian R1T has proven to be more than competent in extreme conditions, validating its 800 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque by entering off-road events like the Rebelle Rally, and crossing the Trans-America trail. Where is Tesla in validating the Cybertruck, two years after revealing it?

When it comes to the awareness of Rivian and its products, that’s probably where Tesla still has the Michigan-turned-California automaker beat. But that’s probably because Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hasn’t been on The Joe Rogan Experience. Or Cathie Wood decreeing absurd share price targets for the automaker on CNBC (yet). But delivering on product promises, on time, is also why a car company is so much more than a cult of personality.

Image via GMC.GMC Hummer EV

GM has made a big splash by resurrecting the Hummer name, and its macho proportions and radical power numbers (1,000 hp!) have the electric pickup truck putting off quite the vibe. The truck is also set to begin production by the end of the year, just behind the Rivian R1T, and seemingly well ahead of the Tesla Cybertuck.

And this new Hummer EV isn’t some badge-engineered compliance car, either. It shares zero parts with any existing General Motors vehicle. And, when you watch the Hummer EV do its Crabwalk dance in person, there’s no denying that the electric truck is pretty damn cool. Cool enough to where even Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted to rethinking the design of the Cybertruck, which would incorporate rear wheel steering, at minimum.

Image via Ford

.Ford F-150 Lightning

Where the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T seem more positioned to stand out in a crowd, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning gets things down to brass tacks. For its part, Ford Motor Company has gone as far as to admit that Tesla is the catalyst for its EV push, but has focused its market positioning of the F-150 Lightning truck as one that’s built to work, and what it can do on the job site. Stats like being able to power a house for three days, or that it stands to be the most affordable electric pickup truck on the market when it launches in early 2022, are helping the electric truck garner the attention of fleet buyers, with enough reservation deposits to motivate Ford to double its production targets next year. And, for better or worse, President Biden drove one.

While the Ford F-150 Lightning may not have the thick stainless steel body that the Tesla Cybertruck may have, Tesla lacks the decades of learning and customer data on people who use their trucks for work, which Ford has in spades.

Image via Twitter

.How Much Of The Tesla Cybertruck Was Just A Cash Grab?

As of this writing, customers that have put down a Tesla Cybertruck reservation deposit have not been notified that the vehicle has been or will be canceled, so the interest-free loan generated from reservation holders remains in circulation. But with the automaker pulling the original specs and pricing of the Cybertruck from its website recently (despite still accepting reservations), something appears off. And since Tesla has decided to eliminate its communications department a while ago, we’re left drawing our own conclusions.

Will Tesla ask reservation holders to go for something else? Perhaps only if a Cybertruck 2.0 doesn’t reveal itself. But like the new Tesla Roadster, the Cybertruck seems to have been demoted from industry disruptor, to yet another simple fan-boy fantasy.

Image via Tesla

“Better Products” From The Competition

The genuine flaws of the Tesla Cybertruck appear to be that it takes in zero account of any pragmatic use. Although, the Cybertruck is an incredible exercise in designing a vehicle that can circumvent just about every single transportation law in the DOT’s sizable rulebook.

Because of its gross vehicle weight rating putting it in the Class 2B category, it does not require the following:

• airbags
• a shape optimized for pedestrian safety
• a crumple zone for crash safety
• NHTSA crash testing
• EPA electric range testing

Other vehicles like the Hummer EV and Rivian R1T may be classified in the same gross vehicle weight category, but GM and Rivian at least know better to implement these safety features into the design of their electric trucks, regardless the regulatory framework. It’s just good business practice, as the product would appear unfinished otherwise.

Add to it that the Cybertruck body is stainless steel, Tesla could save well into nine figures by simply forgoing any need to paint it over its lifecycle. This is based off what traditional OEMs have been seen investing over time just on paint tooling alone.

All in all, the Tesla Cybertruck would cost a fraction to build in comparison to what General Motors and Ford have earmarked for tooling and engineering of its upcoming electric vehicle offerings. See investments at the GM Factory Zero and Spring Hill plants, as well as Ford’s recent Kentucky and Rouge Complex announcements. To that end, the Tesla Cybertruck deserves incredible praise, and similar techniques should be applied where appropriate across the industry. But beyond this, the Cybertruck feels like an inferior product compared to its rivals as it stands, which bring more functionality and thought-out touches to the table. To the point where I’m not sure why anybody would want one, beyond the clout.

Was The Tesla Cybertruck A Ruse?

Telsa revealed the hulking Cybertruck thinking what, exactly? That a bunch of Bay Area sociopaths are going to suddenly trade in their Model 3 and master parallel parking a Class 2B pickup truck next to a tent colony? That the Texas brodozer crowd is going to suddenly trade in lifted diesel trucks for something that can’t roll coal? Are coastal elites going to behave poorly on Twitter when it doesn’t fit in a parking garage, or there’s nowhere to charge one?

It’s one thing to put a refundable $100 deposit down for kicks. It’s another to live with such an automobile.

Somewhere between November of 2019 and now, the Tesla Cybertruck as it is has stopped making sense. And based on what we’re seeing from GM, Ford and Rivian, it’s time for Elon Musk and company to go back to formula. That’s not to say that Tesla shouldn’t or can’t build a truck. Or that people wouldn’t buy a Tesla truck. It just should be a good one.

Image via Tesla

Written by Manoli Katakis
Detroit Region SCCA Member and founder of MC&T. Automotive Media Jedi Knight. Not yet the rank of Master.

https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/tesla-should-cancel-the-cybertruck/

Nice writing, unfortunate logic.

 

[Zabhawkin]

1)Nicer looking
2)More DOF in the torque vectoring
3)Flashlight in door
4)Nicer interior
5)More color choices
6)Camp kitchen
7)Better service (don't see how it could be worse than Tesla's)

1) Ill give you that, but doesn't matter to me.
2) It all depends on how well the software that controls it is done.
3) So does my Ford and my Nissan
4) Subjective
5) The lack of paint is a bonus for me, and was one of the main reasons I chose it.
6) We don't know for sure if the CT will have one or not, it was teased.
7) Does Rivian even have service yet, and it has been my experience that all auto manufacturers have crap service.

You did miss that it does actually have a spare tire... although it is under a hatch in the bed that would require emptying almost the whole thing out to get too.

The article is click bait and intended to target us to get a rise out of us.

 

[checho]

TESLA SHOULD CANCEL THE CYBERTRUCK
The Competition Has Already Beaten The EV To The Market, With Better Products
by

Manoli Katakis October 18, 2021, 4:03 pm

Image via Tesla

Tesla has given the auto industry establishment a lot to worry about. Here are a few examples: a complete rethinking of how to sell a car, with no franchised dealerships; the ability to keep the vehicle’s software fresh through OTA updates; semi-autonomous driving; wild stock prices. The irreverent nature of Tesla has favorably disrupted the auto industry, causing a shakeup in how business is done, period. It’s had just about every large global automaker biting on the bait. But the Cybertruck continues to be a joke. And as the clock continues to tick forward, there’s really no reason for the automaker to continue committing to an inferior product, compared to three vehicles that have emerged as frontrunners to take it on. Vehicles that have already started to get in the hands of customers.

Image via RivianRivian R1T

Perhaps the biggest threat to Tesla comes from well-funded EV automaker Rivian. A new-age automaker that took its time ironing out its inaugural productsbefore getting them into the hands of customers, the Rivian R1T has proven to be more than competent in extreme conditions, validating its 800 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque by entering off-road events like the Rebelle Rally, and crossing the Trans-America trail. Where is Tesla in validating the Cybertruck, two years after revealing it?

When it comes to the awareness of Rivian and its products, that’s probably where Tesla still has the Michigan-turned-California automaker beat. But that’s probably because Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hasn’t been on The Joe Rogan Experience. Or Cathie Wood decreeing absurd share price targets for the automaker on CNBC (yet). But delivering on product promises, on time, is also why a car company is so much more than a cult of personality.

Image via GMC.GMC Hummer EV

GM has made a big splash by resurrecting the Hummer name, and its macho proportions and radical power numbers (1,000 hp!) have the electric pickup truck putting off quite the vibe. The truck is also set to begin production by the end of the year, just behind the Rivian R1T, and seemingly well ahead of the Tesla Cybertuck.

And this new Hummer EV isn’t some badge-engineered compliance car, either. It shares zero parts with any existing General Motors vehicle. And, when you watch the Hummer EV do its Crabwalk dance in person, there’s no denying that the electric truck is pretty damn cool. Cool enough to where even Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted to rethinking the design of the Cybertruck, which would incorporate rear wheel steering, at minimum.

Image via Ford

.Ford F-150 Lightning

Where the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T seem more positioned to stand out in a crowd, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning gets things down to brass tacks. For its part, Ford Motor Company has gone as far as to admit that Tesla is the catalyst for its EV push, but has focused its market positioning of the F-150 Lightning truck as one that’s built to work, and what it can do on the job site. Stats like being able to power a house for three days, or that it stands to be the most affordable electric pickup truck on the market when it launches in early 2022, are helping the electric truck garner the attention of fleet buyers, with enough reservation deposits to motivate Ford to double its production targets next year. And, for better or worse, President Biden drove one.

While the Ford F-150 Lightning may not have the thick stainless steel body that the Tesla Cybertruck may have, Tesla lacks the decades of learning and customer data on people who use their trucks for work, which Ford has in spades.

Image via Twitter

.How Much Of The Tesla Cybertruck Was Just A Cash Grab?

As of this writing, customers that have put down a Tesla Cybertruck reservation deposit have not been notified that the vehicle has been or will be canceled, so the interest-free loan generated from reservation holders remains in circulation. But with the automaker pulling the original specs and pricing of the Cybertruck from its website recently (despite still accepting reservations), something appears off. And since Tesla has decided to eliminate its communications department a while ago, we’re left drawing our own conclusions.

Will Tesla ask reservation holders to go for something else? Perhaps only if a Cybertruck 2.0 doesn’t reveal itself. But like the new Tesla Roadster, the Cybertruck seems to have been demoted from industry disruptor, to yet another simple fan-boy fantasy.

Image via Tesla

“Better Products” From The Competition

The genuine flaws of the Tesla Cybertruck appear to be that it takes in zero account of any pragmatic use. Although, the Cybertruck is an incredible exercise in designing a vehicle that can circumvent just about every single transportation law in the DOT’s sizable rulebook.

Because of its gross vehicle weight rating putting it in the Class 2B category, it does not require the following:

• airbags
• a shape optimized for pedestrian safety
• a crumple zone for crash safety
• NHTSA crash testing
• EPA electric range testing

Other vehicles like the Hummer EV and Rivian R1T may be classified in the same gross vehicle weight category, but GM and Rivian at least know better to implement these safety features into the design of their electric trucks, regardless the regulatory framework. It’s just good business practice, as the product would appear unfinished otherwise.

Add to it that the Cybertruck body is stainless steel, Tesla could save well into nine figures by simply forgoing any need to paint it over its lifecycle. This is based off what traditional OEMs have been seen investing over time just on paint tooling alone.

All in all, the Tesla Cybertruck would cost a fraction to build in comparison to what General Motors and Ford have earmarked for tooling and engineering of its upcoming electric vehicle offerings. See investments at the GM Factory Zero and Spring Hill plants, as well as Ford’s recent Kentucky and Rouge Complex announcements. To that end, the Tesla Cybertruck deserves incredible praise, and similar techniques should be applied where appropriate across the industry. But beyond this, the Cybertruck feels like an inferior product compared to its rivals as it stands, which bring more functionality and thought-out touches to the table. To the point where I’m not sure why anybody would want one, beyond the clout.

Was The Tesla Cybertruck A Ruse?

Telsa revealed the hulking Cybertruck thinking what, exactly? That a bunch of Bay Area sociopaths are going to suddenly trade in their Model 3 and master parallel parking a Class 2B pickup truck next to a tent colony? That the Texas brodozer crowd is going to suddenly trade in lifted diesel trucks for something that can’t roll coal? Are coastal elites going to behave poorly on Twitter when it doesn’t fit in a parking garage, or there’s nowhere to charge one?

It’s one thing to put a refundable $100 deposit down for kicks. It’s another to live with such an automobile.

Somewhere between November of 2019 and now, the Tesla Cybertruck as it is has stopped making sense. And based on what we’re seeing from GM, Ford and Rivian, it’s time for Elon Musk and company to go back to formula. That’s not to say that Tesla shouldn’t or can’t build a truck. Or that people wouldn’t buy a Tesla truck. It just should be a good one.

Image via Tesla

Written by Manoli Katakis
Detroit Region SCCA Member and founder of MC&T. Automotive Media Jedi Knight. Not yet the rank of Master.

https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/tesla-should-cancel-the-cybertruck/

Nonsense, Tesla is by far the best electric truck a tiny delay won't hurt anyone.

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