
Tesla Cybertruck - sahin-boydas
https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
======
ogre_codes
Unlike any other previous Tesla, or for that matter any other previous
electric car, this is a reasonable value proposition. Everyone is so busy
panning the looks they are overlooking the utility of this truck. Even the
Model 3 is expensive compared to its peers at $35k. This this is priced
competitive with non-electric trucks, heck, it's priced extremely _well_
versus electric trucks. A 6 seat truck with a 6.5 foot truck bed and a 3500
pound capacity for $40k is genuinely competitive with GM/ Ford, likewise $50k
for a 4WD truck which tows 14k pounds is absolutely reasonable. Unless you are
regularly driving more than 250 miles per day, being able to charge at home is
way better than filling up at gas stations.

~~~
kllrnohj
> Unless you are regularly driving more than 250 miles per day, being able to
> charge at home is way better than filling up at gas stations.

There's no way the Tesla truck gets 250 miles when loaded up with 3500 pounds
or hauling a trailer. It's very unclear if the range is sufficient if you use
this truck like an actual truck where you need those things. Similarly if you
are using this as a work truck there's some poor design choices involved here,
too. Like the inability to access the bed from the sides of the vehicle. Or
the non-flat roof complicating roof racks or additional lighting.

This appears to be more of a "lifestyle" truck than a "work" truck, and in
that market how important are the extra cargo pounds or trailer capacity?

~~~
babypuncher
250 is the range of the base model. The top end model doubles that.

~~~
kllrnohj
The top-end model also nearly doubles the price and puts it in an entirely
different class of competition. The $50k Cybertruck, comparable in price to
something like the F-150 Raptor or Tacoma TRD Pro, is "only" 300 mile range.
At the top-end model's $70k you're deep into Ford Super Duty territory

~~~
thrav
Raptors at local dealers near me are all selling for $72-75k

------
eo3x0
I know a lot of folks are walking away from the puzzling aesthetic but I think
that’s the point. Existing Tesla owners with a taste for existing design cues
won’t push Tesla sales any further. They’ve got to expand the demographic and
this design has a chance to do this.

Think of all the wrangler, hummer, truck buyers who want a militaristic,
rough, unpolished steel look and this is that flavor taken to an extreme.

Other buyers still have the S3XYs to choose from so we can all have our
favorite toys from the same company. No cannibalization.

~~~
newnewpdro
Yeah, because that's what all the F150 buyers of the world really wanted, an
angular flat-paneled ridiculous movie prop.

This thing alienates far more than it attracts in the pickup truck market.

~~~
whysohardtoc
Flat panel is what trucks have needed to go back to. Get a bad dent or the
garbage is rusting out? Cut it out and weld some sheet on top. No need buy an
entire door or go to a body shop.

~~~
IAmGraydon
Are you being serious? This is a Tesla. You think people are going to repair
them by welding steel sheet on top?

~~~
sgt
Not immediately but if this thing is as indestructible as it looks, after 10
years of hard use, new battery pack, it's not hard to imagine that it'll be
fixed by welding steel panels on it.

------
cgrealy
I genuinely had to double check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st.

I love the fact that Tesla are moving away from the boring, middle of the road
designs of their previous models.

But this.... this is just hideous.

It doesn’t look tough or futuristic; it looks like something a 10 year old
designed, and no, that’s not a good thing.

~~~
buildbuildbuild
The divisiveness of this design is precisely what will propel its success.
It's the coolest production car I've ever seen. And I expect >50% of the
population to strongly disagree, mostly people from different generations.
"Appalling" designs get free viral marketing; the trick is to still appeal to
enough of your target market.

This truck gets attention. It's a loud status statement that looks cheap to
build, costs less than $50k. Well done Tesla.

~~~
_wzsf
"production car"

~~~
buildbuildbuild
Actually mass produced, not a concept car.

~~~
_wzsf
This vehicle, of which Tesla expects to sell at $39k the cheapest model
containing $33k of batteries, has definitely been mass-produced.

------
Danieru
Does the US not have pedestrian safety standards? An all metal front grill
must be horrible on any safety tests.

I can only assume this is a joke and in a few hours Elon will do a "one more
thing" before showing the real Tesla Pickup.

This take on a pickup looks like some engineer accidentally left their Halo
fan-art on the shared CAD file server.

~~~
iddqd
I would love to see the frowns of the EU regulators when they wake up and see
this.

~~~
koffiezet
Doubt they're even going to try to introduce it on the EU market, there's very
little demand for pickup trucks here...

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
In urban areas, yes. In rural areas- in Greece they're like a stereotype,
farmers with pickup trucks. I know at least one person who has a pimped-up one
with rollbars (bullbars?) and big lights and so on.

~~~
growse
> In urban areas, yes. In rural areas- in Greece they're like a stereotype,
> farmers with pickup trucks. I know at least one person who has a pimped-up
> one with rollbars (bullbars?) and big lights and so on.

Not to mention the farmers who buy these sorts of vehicles in Europe tend to
value durability, reliability and ease of maintenance. From what I can tell,
they all drive around in old Hiluxes.

Having been stung by John Deere already, farmers aren't going to fall over
themselves to buy something that they don't own, can't fix themselves and will
likely be in the dealer for months if it breaks.

This is a luxury status symbol.

------
chrissnell
As a truck guy who has owned a lot of trucks and currently owns a 2017 Ram
2500 CTD 4x4 and a Land Rover Defender 110, I'm telling you right now: this is
going to kill it. This is the suburban status item of 2022.

I want to buy this right now. This has nearly the towing capacity of my Ram
and will smoke my wife's Audi on the track.

~~~
alkonaut
Do people in the rural/suburban US _really_ tow that much that often? Seeing
the number of trucks just doesn’t make sense (especially given how few are
towing anything). Is there a little measure of lifestyle signaling or macho
involved in truck ownership, or towing capacity comparison?

~~~
michaelt
Car companies don't limit themselves to selling people a car based on _what
their life is like now_ , people have already got something that lets them do
the things they currently do.

They can market it based on what their life _could be like_ if they brought
the car. Perhaps in vague, emotional terms.

You too could be kayaking/mountain biking/skiing through picturesque
countryside with your pretty, athletic friends... if you buy a Brand X SUV. Be
confident in any situation. Whatever, wherever, whenever. Adventure starts
here. Built tough. Driven by dreams. Past the pavement. Built for city roads
and no roads.

~~~
AgloeDreams
Spot on, this is also while many people back in the early 2010s were so turned
off of laptops without CD drives, they might not ever use it, but they want to
know they can. (ev dn through they didn't realize the tradeoff was battery)

------
eigenvalue
I think it looks pretty awesome. The ATV that charges in the back as the "oh,
and one more thing" moment was also great. I can see this being very popular.
There is something very masculine and forward looking about the design. The
interior shots on the website are also impressive-- I wonder why they didn't
show that tonight in the demo (probably it's just a rendering and the
prototype version has a bare-bones interior). The glass breaking was tough to
watch though-- I'm sure it threw him off during the rest of the presentation.

~~~
oxplot
See people getting a ride in it:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDztHFa0_Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDztHFa0_Q)

~~~
mprev
Skip to around 15 minutes in unless you like watching terrible smartphone
footage of a bunch of people standing around waiting for the truck to turn up.

------
eitally
As the current owner of a 2017 F150 long bed 4x4 with an ARE bed cap, I'm
super-tempted by the Tesla. It's a total no-brainer for the people buying
things like the Honda Ridgeline. It's less so for people who treat their truck
like a work vehicle.

Frankly, I don't think will cannibalize the existing P/U market as much as it
will sway more people away from SUVs into [Cyber]trucks, especially if the
back seat is as spacious as a normal full size truck's.

~~~
BuckRogers
It has a 6.5' bed, and I look at the bed to judge whether it's used as a truck
or not. Shortbeds are unusable and nearly useless for any real work. They're
so frustrating, that I don't even consider a shortbed truck a truck at all.
It's a family sedan masquerading as one. Tesla very wisely delivered a real
truck.

The only thing the Cybertruck needs is more colors. It's a little odd looking,
like Robocop is coming to town, but it's time for changes in the market. The
Model 3 converted me to viewing existing cars as dinosaurs, and this will
probably transform the truck market as well.

I grew up working on a farm, and while I'm a developer today, I still get my
hands dirty. I'm in for one.

~~~
jasongill
6.5' is a short bed, though - it's the same length as most short-bed full-size
1/2 or 3/4 ton pickups.

It's only a "long bed" when you compare it to midsize trucks like the Tacoma
or Ridgeline, which is what this vehicle really is more akin to (especially
the first generation Ridgeline, as you can't replace the bed on the Cybertruck
or the old Ridgeline as it was a part of the unibody - not good when you
accidentally overload or bend up the bed, unfortunately).

Curious to see what the production version ends up like, but I don't know if
this is really going to be taken seriously by people who need a "real" truck,
at least in the current form. It's more of a weekend warrior vehicle right
now, I'd say

~~~
jhayward
6.5' is a 'standard bed' in the F-150 line. 'Short bed' is 5.5', 'long bed' is
8'.

------
acidburnNSA
Given the sledgehammer test, at least from the side that thing will be very
aggressive in a crash. As in, if it runs into you, or if you run into it you
will be more injured and/or dead. You generally want a little give on the road
in both directions.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_incompatibility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_incompatibility)

Looks sweet though.

~~~
ehnto
That's a pretty common reason people cite for buying big SUVs. A belief that
being the bigger car in an accident makes you safer.

~~~
kijin
More mass = less acceleration when the same force is applied, and acceleration
is what really kills you. You can't argue with physics.

~~~
tempestn
Yep, if you're going to crash, better to be in as big a vehicle as possible.
There is an argument to be made that smaller, more nimble, faster braking
vehicles have a better chance of avoiding the crash in the first place, but
the statistics do still show SUVs are safer overall, not just on a per-crash
basis.

~~~
kijin
Unfortunately, a vehicle can only be as nimble as its driver is. Most vehicles
out there are driven by average, distracted, exhausted humans.

About this time last year, I skidded and lost control of my car for a fraction
of a second while changing lanes on a busy highway at 60mph. I'm alive and
typing this not because I was nimble enough to recover from that situation,
but because my car had electronic stability control -- a feature that is often
not available in smaller models -- and a good set of winter tires.

~~~
pi-rat
Don’t think I’ve driven a car without ESC, it’s been mandatory in new cars for
almost a decade now.

~~~
kijin
It depends on the country. ESC became mandatory in most large markets since
sometime between 2012 and 2014, but lots of cars are older than that. Unlike
phones, automobiles can easily last 15 years or more if well cared for. Which
is great in one respect but also a nightmare when it comes to safety and
emissions.

------
nimbius
Great truck. Very exotic design, excellent price point, However, there was one
statement that stood out as a MASSIVE mistake:

>The glass is stronger than standard car glass

Please stop doing this. Audi and Mercedes pulled this gimmicky crap about 8
years ago until they realized samaritans, Firefighters and EMT's need to be
able to breech safety-glass windows in the event you become entrapped in the
vehicle (possibly burning) during a major accident. You may also need to
shatter a window in order to exit your vehicle if it becomes submerged in a
body of water.

Teslas are already unique enough to require their own first responder
procedure to perform an advanced extraction.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4peF1EYke8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4peF1EYke8)

Please, the vehicle already looks like the M577 Armored Personnel Carrier from
Aliens. it outruns a porsche, it out pulls an f150. Youve ticked all the
masculine boxes truck owners want for this thing. Dont turn it into a rolling
coffin.

~~~
hooloovoo_zoo
Not sure what you're worried about; all you need to break in is a lightly
thrown metal ball.

~~~
mattrp
I’m hoping for Jeremy clarkson to take a whack at “killing a Tesla” a la the
infamous hilux that wouldn’t die:

[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk)

~~~
rerpha
Considering the first part of that challenge is that they submerge the hilux
in the sea, I can't see the tesla holding up too well. Would love to see it
though!

~~~
Klathmon
I wouldn't be so sure.

While you obviously don't want to test it, there are videos of Model 3's and
Model S's being driven through water over the windshield and were fine. IIRC
there's a video somewhere of one of the Tesla models actually floating when
the water got too deep.

------
sytelus
Stupid question: what’s up with trucks in urban areas? I understand the
utility of a truck in rural/farm setting but never figured why folks want to
lug around that pointless empty half while living in cities. Two of the folks
I know who owns trucks have used empty halfs probably twice in a year when
bringing home some furniture but that too could have delivered free by the
store. Again, as I said, stupid question.

~~~
wongarsu
Trucks in urban settings are an exclusively American thing. Because of the
chicken tax [1], a 20% import duty on trucks, foreign trucks are unprofitable
in the US. This lack of competition incentivizes American auto makers to
create as much domestic demand for trucks as possible.

1:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax)

~~~
laurent123456
I'd expect the lack of competition, especially from Japan, would make the
American trucks more expensive and less reliable.

~~~
Dig1t
There is actually a fair amount of competition from Japan. The Toyota
Tundra/Tacoma, Nissan Titan/Frontier, and Honda Ridgeline are all popular and
in some ways better trucks than their American counterparts. I think many
"truck people" are also people who tend to prefer domestically-made goods; in
the same way that people shopping at Home Depot are more likely to buy
products with the "Made in the USA" sticker on them.

~~~
maxwell
The Tundra is the only full-size truck made in Texas.

The Titan is made in Mississippi.

The Ridgeline in Alabama.

Those who identify as Republicans seem to indicate willingness to pay more for
Made in USA than Democrats according to the polls I've seen.

[https://morningconsult.com/2017/11/21/poll-support-for-
purch...](https://morningconsult.com/2017/11/21/poll-support-for-purchasing-
made-in-usa-goods-jumps-but-dont-credit-trump/)

[https://morningconsult.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/11/171016...](https://morningconsult.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/11/171016_crosstabs_BRANDS_v2_AP-1.pdf)

~~~
jcranmer
There's a bit of irony in that the Japanese car companies make all their cars
(destined for the US market) in the US, whereas the American car companies
tend to prefer Mexico.

------
waiseristy
I feel like I am taking crazy pills with the amount of good sentiment to this
design. This thing is absolutely fugly. The guys over at Rivian must be having
a party right now.

~~~
jader201
It looks like the attempt of a “futuristic” vehicle in an early 90’s low
polygon video game.

Reading these responses makes me think I’m out of the loop on some joke.
Seriously. I had no doubt when I came to the discussion that all the comments
would be about how ugly it is.

Maybe this is one of those white/gold vs. black/blue dress things. Or the
“yanni” thing.

I’m blown away by any of the comments that find the design appealing.

~~~
sincerely
>It looks like the attempt of a “futuristic” vehicle in an early 90’s low
polygon video game.

In a world where every manufacturer makes cars that look basically the same as
every other car in the world, I'm fucking _stoked_ on this.

~~~
riffraff
they don't, people just buy similar looking models because weird cars
generally don't sell well, with some exceptions.

~~~
sincerely
Ok, please find me the two most different looking trucks that I can buy (no
concept models).

~~~
killjoywashere
Chevrolet SSR vs AMG HMMWV pickup with SAM missile battery

(1)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_SSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_SSR)

(2) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humvee#/media/File:SAM-
HMMWV.j...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humvee#/media/File:SAM-HMMWV.jpg)

~~~
jsight
OTOH, the SSR had a foot bed? Its not like it was just a great truck that
looked bad, it wasn't actually a good truck.

~~~
jsight
Err, four foot bed.

------
atonse
You couldn't invent a more polar opposite of Steve Jobs than Elon Musk.

VERY disorganized presenting. Badly rehearsed. Awkward speech. Speech is
almost never in sync with slides. Demos failed spectacularly. The rest of the
event was him with a backdrop of two broken windows.

They didn't show the interior, and barely talked about the bed. Is this even
good as a pickup truck? Is there enough storage?

This all seemed hastily put together (probably as a response to the other
pickup truck press). But for an Elon presentation, this is pretty normal (high
awkwardness).

Signed, Model 3 Driver (who loves his car).

~~~
canada_dry
Can someone that has actually worked closely with Musk confirm: is his thought
process and speech as utterly disjointed as happens in most of his
presentations?

Or, is this a _nutty professor_ kinda of shtick that Elon thinks makes him
seem more personable?

His presentations are painful to watch.

~~~
luckydata
He's not a native English speaker and that has an impact.

~~~
newsbinator
He's a native English speaker.

> There were compulsory subjects like Afrikaans, and I just didn’t see the
> point of learning that. It seemed ridiculous. I'd get a passing grade and
> that was fine.

[https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=zRXjCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA43&ot...](https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=zRXjCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA43&ots=F6xbYjrVnK&dq=There%20were%20compulsory%20subjects%20like%20Afrikaans%2C%20and%20I%20just%20didn%E2%80%99t%20see%20the%20point%20of%20learning%20that.%20It%20seemed%20ridiculous.%20I'd%20get%20a%20passing%20grade%20and%20that%20was%20fine.&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q=There%20were%20compulsory%20subjects%20like%20Afrikaans,%20and%20I%20just%20didn%E2%80%99t%20see%20the%20point%20of%20learning%20that.%20It%20seemed%20ridiculous.%20I'd%20get%20a%20passing%20grade%20and%20that%20was%20fine.&f=false)

------
gexla
Yeah, a lot of people talking about how ugly it is. But that's exactly what a
pick-up has always been. A big ugly thing with a bed in the back and a lot of
utility most people didn't even use.

Some models over the years have looked decent. Many have (Ford especially)
have been dog ugly. I could see this thing taking off, though not sure how
rural truck owners would take to electric.

Edit: On second thought, rural truck owners must go through a ton of gas. I
bet they would love to own something like this.

Edit edit: I also love that this thing can take a beating on the exterior. You
don't have to worry about scratches in the paint or dents from shopping cart
accidents.

~~~
01100011
> that's exactly what a pick-up has always been. A big ugly thing

As a former truck owner I have to disagree. I like modern trucks and with a
few exceptions think they've looked great since they were invented. The truck
shown by Tesla does not appeal to me.

Frankly I think it's odd how one-sided the upvotes are going in this thread. I
really don't think Tesla would bother astroturfing on HN so I dunno... I guess
HN folks really like the design. Personally I just don't see it having wide
appeal, _especially_ among truck owners.

A Ford F150 for example, looks 'masculine'. The Tesla truck looks... sterile?
It's like comparing a sledgehammer to a scalpel.

~~~
gexla
I'm assuming by "upvotes" you're referring to positive reactions to the design
as opposed to the HN voting buttons.

The design, of course, is subjective. We'll be seeing professional commentary
which may sway our opinion. I would be interested to see if there were design
constraints which weighed heavily in the final design.

There's a prism of ugly and this truck fits in the region which I can live
with. I have mostly found Ford designs to be ugly (1995 for example.) I also
feel that truck designs have mostly been similar. If I find X year Ford to be
ugly, then it's relative to the same year of Chevy. There's also utility ugly
and the sort of ugly which attempts to be artistic but which fails into
something I would be embarrassed to drive (curves and paint schemes which
aren't meant to be functional and just look bad.)

The Tesla Cybertruck has the feel of minimalist utility. It's also bold and
different. Unlike the Rivian, it's not trying to be anything like the current
state of the art of trucks. I think it will have a lot of appeal for being
different and for having crazy specs. It's ugly, but I want one.

I have been seeing good comments pointing out problems. For example, it
doesn't seem to be accommodating to accessories. Maybe this is something which
will get worked out before it hits production.

History will judge this thing better than we can. Regardless of our opinion,
it will be interesting to see if the design sticks.

~~~
look_lookatme
It's funny that you choose the 1995 style because that style of F-150 is
enduring enough to have its own short hand amongst truck people, the OBS (Old
Body Style). The OBS generations of the F-150 are considered to this day to be
beautiful trucks with lasting aesthetics by many truck folks and you'll see a
lot of well preserved or rebuilt OBS bodies out there. Certainly far more than
the body style that succeeded it (1997).

Tastes are subjective, I agree, but I want to point out on, at least this
small matter, how much yours diverge from a lot of people that purchase
trucks. I think history will judge mostly whether this appealed to people in a
venn diagram of truck owners and not truck owners who are looking for very
aggressive and unorthodox large status vehicles and are underserved by the
truck SUV market.

------
nedsma
I find it awesome. Kudos to Tesla for willingness to experiment with form and
functionality. The car industry nowadays is all too predictable and boring.
Great job Elon.

~~~
nikofeyn
i read predictable and boring as reliable and safe. and many companies are
innovating in design.

~~~
nedsma
Sadly, that's not the case. Car companies are just trying to catch up with
whatever seems to sell at the moment. And if there's a new model, it is
usually related to a some "successful model" from the past or an existing
model is given a crossover look. And even these new cars have too many issues.

------
Reedx
So many people tripping over themselves to criticize this.

But hey, everyone is talking about it. $0 ad spend.

It elicits strong reactions. People seem to love it or hate it. Far better
than indifference.

Not a truck owner, nor in the market, but I appreciate bold moves and
deviation from the norm.

~~~
cprayingmantis
You know what would've generated as much conversation? Just an electric truck
with towing capability and decent range. They didn't need to make it looks so
awful to generate conversation.

~~~
grecy
... and you know, Rivian already did that, and the base model costs $20,000
more than the base telsa.

The flat surfaces and not-stamped stainless are about ease of manufacture -
[https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-
pi...](https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-
engineering-manufacturing)

------
zshift
As a car guy, this is an amazing truck. Dual-motor can easily tow track car
and all necessary gear. Built-in compressor means you can use air-tools on the
go without a generator. Maybe even fit a quick jack in the trunk or trailer.
AND it drives itself to the track. Never need to bring spare batteries for
tools. It’s insane that it can do this, and likely win every drag race against
street cars. All while blasting the Bladerunner theme on max volume.

------
Grazester
This thing may be ugly but there are other concerns for people using this like
a real truck.

-The bed is not easily accessible from the sides

-It's unibody(ask Honda about that)

-It's stainless steel which would make repairing difficult. You will now have to paint that raw steel after hammering out any dents after an accident just like the Delorean

~~~
JaRail
Why would you paint it? It's not painted in the first place.

~~~
Grazester
Do you know what is involved in "hammering" out dents in a collision and how
the metal looks after? Also you may need to then fill some surface
irregularities with a filler.

This is why Deloreans that got into accidents were usually painted.

Of course if you can easily replace an entire panel with a new one, this can
be done. On cars the rear quarter panel cant be "replaced" like the front
quarter panel which is just bolted on.

------
servercobra
The design looks like a prepper's wet dream. But the pricing is incredible.
Like $3k more than the Model Y's base model. And half as much as Rivian's base
model, with the top end model costing the same as Rivian' base. Cybertruck
wins in every spot but design against the Rivian, IMO. Frankly, some people I
know that buy trucks would buy the Cybertruck because it looks badass (to
some), like a stealth fighter.

I kept waiting for the sledgehammer guy to hit it and the walls to fall off,
with a real truck inside.

~~~
new_realist
Rivian will ship two or three years before this thing.

~~~
mulcahey
Doubt it. They have no experience with volume production. (Unless they
basically outsource production to Ford.)

------
syshum
AS a Truck Guy who has owned a lot of Trucks and Currently owns a F-150 XLT
4x4 and has Owns no less than 8 other Trucks and SUV's from Ford....

This is going to flop, big time. This is the worst looking Truck I have seen
in a LONG time, this will not appeal to people that buy the Best selling Truck
on the market, The F-150.

I have no interest in buying this, and i would not drive it even if they gave
me one for free. Sure the performance is there, ofcourse when Ford and other
manufactures release their Electric Trucks then when can do a Apple to Apple
comparison.

I will be waiting on the Electric F-150, which should have comparable specs to
the Rivian, and I would much rather have a Rivian Truck than this monstrosity

~~~
formichunter
Why is this being downvoted? It's an opposing view and they are being honest.
I ordered a Model X, getting it in two weeks, and am looking for a pickup
truck to eventually move to after the Model X. I would not buy this, sorry.
People like me will compare Rivian to CyberTruck and I think it's a natural
comparison. We aren't going to compare traditional pickups, though, because
people like me don't want an ICE pickup truck. With that said, why would I not
buy a Rivian? The plan is to wait till they've produced it for a year, compare
to current electric pickup market, take advantage of Federal Tax credit of
Rivian and evaluate if it's worth it. I am the suburban guy, I am a Tesla
buyer, and I pride myself on engineering + beautiful design. Tesla HAD that
for all their vehicles, imo. Cybertruck is a niche vehicle, I wish it well, I
grew up in the 80's so it is nostalgic but omg it makes me want to vomit.
Sorry, I wanted to buy it, really did, but 80's design for cars, clothes, and
hairstyles was a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from, kinda like the shirt
that stopped halfway down your waist. I am not an 80's fan....born 1977.

~~~
SuoDuanDao
In my case, while I like the aesthetic, I think aesthetic considerations
aren't supposed to figure into buying a truck. Trucks exist to do work, buying
one on aesthetics seems counter to the whole reason to own a truck in the
first place.

~~~
jhayward
> _I think aesthetic considerations aren 't supposed to figure into buying a
> truck_

Oh, geez. "Truck guys" in the US are some of the most opinionated, style-
conscious folks you will ever meet in an automotive context. They're really
something if you ever find yourself hanging out with them.

~~~
randcraw
I believe you. But truck guys don't discuss the style of their truck, how
pretty it is. They brag about how they abused it or carried unreal loads or
took it where no road legal vehicle should ever go.

Even if the Cybertruck kicks ass on the road, it's not going to impress these
guys. And if they're the target market for this new truck, Tesla's in trouble.

~~~
jhayward
No, they really do talk incessantly about style and looks. Really. Including
flamewars about which manufacturer has 'ugly' or 'beautiful' characteristics.

------
rootusrootus
At first I was dumbfounded. Like, they cannot be serious.

Then after a little while of looking at it, I thought, well, perhaps it is
just crazy enough to work. Definitely thinking outside the box.

Then a bit later in the evening, I was struck by how in the space of a couple
hours it had aged in my eyes, and it wasn't aging well. As soon as the
'interesting' wore off, all I can see is how boring the design really is.

By itself, maybe not such a big deal, pickups aren't meant to be exciting.
They are successful because of their utility. King of the road, riding high,
the modern incarnation of a 70s land yacht, very spacious inside, well
appointed, and incidentally able to haul stuff when you want, pull stuff when
you want. The very definition of function over form. The opposite of
Cybertruck.

I'll wait and see how it plays out, since this is obviously a prototype of a
prototype (read MotorTrend's writeup, they had early access and it was still
coming together in the last couple weeks). The windows aren't street legal,
the bumpers are not street legal, almost certainly the headlights and
taillights aren't, etc. A lot of the actual finished product has yet to be
designed, so I will withhold judgement until we see what it turns out to be.

~~~
montjoy
I had a similar then different reaction . First I didn’t think it was real.
Then I thought it was hideous. Now after looking at and reading about it more
I’m starting to like it. I’m hoping Tesla starts using more of the same design
cues in their other products.

------
rdoherty
I agree that electric trucks are important to combat climate change, but wow.
If their goal is to sell to the market that buys pickup trucks, I think the
styling is way off the mark.

Huge, beastly trucks are a status symbol and signalling to others that you are
are certain demographic. Same reason some people buy cheap cars and add shiny
wheels and lights. Same reason some people buy BMWs and Mercedes. These are
all part of socioeconomic norms. I don't see how the normal truck crowd will
latch on to this.

The specs are pretty impressive though. 500 mile range got my attention.

~~~
tgsovlerkhgsel
Is the normal truck crowd going to latch onto a $70k truck?

I think this is going to resonate really well with techies. Not a huge
demographic, but one that can afford it.

The market for sci-fi/cyberpunk cars won't be huge, but in exchange, this
looks like it'll capture _all_ of that market, as opposed to a small slice of
a more conventional one.

~~~
losvedir
When I lived in rural Missouri, I was shocked at how many of my neighbors and
colleagues were shelling out $70k for their pickup trucks.

The price here is not a concern at all. The design.... not so sure about that.

------
fumar
I appreciate Tesla for taking the pick up truck use cases and building
something from scratch. This is the first pick up truck I’ve ever thought to
myself “makes sense and I want it.” The ICE trucks have needy engines and most
of the time the power is unused. The air suspension seems like a natural fit
and I’m surprised it’s not already common place. I would love to take the
Cybertruck off-roading. I’m also excited to see these on the road. It will
make my inner kid feel like we finally made it to the future.

~~~
notatoad
>The air suspension seems like a natural fit and I’m surprised it’s not
already common place.

IIRC this was a thing on land rovers back in the day, and was notoriously
unreliable. It's a great idea in theory, but much more difficult to get right
than a bunch of steel springs.

~~~
kmlx
the new defender is back, and looks pretty good:
[https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-land-
rover-d...](https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-land-rover-
defender-2019)

------
aaronbrethorst
It kind of looks like a Pontiac Aztek to me—if the Aztek happened to exist in
the 2019 of Blade Runner and not the 2001 of reality.

[https://www.thrillist.com/cars/the-pontiac-aztec-was-the-
big...](https://www.thrillist.com/cars/the-pontiac-aztec-was-the-biggest-
failure-in-automotive-history)

~~~
xxxtentachyon
This feels more like if Master Chief drove an Aztek

~~~
aaronbrethorst
I hadn’t thought about this looking like the Aztek of Warthogs, but you’re
right.

------
rhegart
Performance is nuts as is affordability, looks like an evil cop or military
truck in a dystopian future though.

~~~
tomc1985
For the 30 seconds I saw before the stream went private that car-truck-thing
looked like something out of _Total Recall_

~~~
iamcreasy
I watched the whole thing. The stream never went private.

~~~
aarongolliver
It did, and it is now. This is one of those things that's trivial to check
before you tell someone they're wrong. Not everyone could watch it exactly
live. Everyone who was was kicked out.

~~~
iamcreasy
Probably it is now. But not when it was live.

------
bonestamp2
Aesthetically speaking, it's a truck version of a DeLorean... which is growing
on me the more I look at it.

Also, I don't know how they think they're going to get away with that tailgate
design in the US. I love it, but the government doesn't allow brakelights to
be on a moveable piece of bodywork (even though they have redundant lights
under it). It's the same reason the back of the Ferrari California was so
ugly... Ferrari learned this fact too late in the development process:

[https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/heres-hilarious-story-
fe...](https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/heres-hilarious-story-ferrari-
californias-brake-lights-261795)

~~~
drfrank
Aren't physical side mirrors also still required in the US?

~~~
bonestamp2
Yes, good catch. A driver's side mirror is required, passenger's side is
optional (but recommended). But, there is some lobbying going on right now to
allow cameras in place of mirrors (GM specifically is trying to get the new
Corvette C8 rear view camera approved, which I'm guessing won't happen for
launch in early 2020).

------
Pxtl
I'm a child of the 80s. I remember StarFox and the F-117 stealth plane being
the neatest stuff ever. The old lambo countache with the faceted shape that
was almost starwars-y and was the coolest thing on wheels.

I'm nostalgic about those things.

So this polygonal look is targeting my demo.

...

That is the goddamned ugliest vehicle I've ever seen.

~~~
beefield
> That is the goddamned ugliest vehicle I've ever seen.

Let me try to beat that:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Multipla#/media/File:Fiat...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Multipla#/media/File:Fiat_Multipla_front_20080825.jpg)

~~~
munificent
What I find fascinating is how _strong_ my negative visceral reaction to that
thing is. It's a car. Who gives a shit whether it looks "good"? What even _is_
my internal metric for "looks good"? I have no idea, but, God, this thing is
revolting.

My hunch is that this is because we use some of the same mental wiring for
processing human faces to process the front of a car. (Automotive designers
refer to the front of a car as its "face".) So we think it's ugly because some
of the same wiring that recoils to disfiguring human faces is kicking in.

I just stumbled onto:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26181746](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26181746)

~~~
spyder
It looks like two cars on top of eachother and if it's a face then it reminds
me of this unsettling face illusion:

[https://i.imgur.com/5lslbsJ.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/5lslbsJ.jpg)

~~~
cr0sh
There's also that Chinese baby a few years back who had a severe form of
"transverse facial cleft" deformity...

------
pier25
The more I look at it the more I like it.

Even if you don't like it you have to applaud the vision here. The vast
majority of car companies are too afraid of getting out of the conformist
design taste of the majority of people.

------
leesec
Well there's a lot of people saying they hate it so I'll just throw in my hat
to say I think it's incredible.

The truck bed opening up was something out of a sci-fi movie. Looking forward
to smoking F-150's off the line with this.

------
arminiusreturns
I grew up with GMC and Ford trucks in the mountains and in Texas (Texans love
their trucks), and am in need of a truck (for towing, of which this has
amazing specs with the mid and high end models) at the moment. I've been
looking and looking not wanting to get taken advantage of, and had mostly
settled on a few years old Tundra... but I love this thing, and also love the
ATV, and so I am seriously considering this as my next vehicle purchase.

As a very security and privacy conscious person, my main quibble has been that
I don't like drive by wire products. I don't want to get Michael
Hastings'ed... but the fact is even the big truck companies are starting to
get rid of mechanical throttle, so I might as well give up on that is how it
feels.

What better way to merge my mountain man and hacker sides than with a Tesla
truck. Now if I only had the money laying around... and I do think many of you
underestimate how much in truck culture having something that looks different
can be the biggest part of being "cool". I got more compliments on my Suzuki
Samurai with a lift and 36ers than you would ever imagine. I blacked out a 91
YJ and also got nothing but compliments. This thing is going to do well, mark
my words.

I prob won't go get a cord of wood in it, (I might) but that's what the old 84
beat up GMC camper special is for.

------
bbayer
I understand what Tesla is doing here. Outer shell manufacturing cost is very
low. No paint, minimal bending process. Just laser cut the material and it is
ready to be mounted. If you want to manufacture something in a low resource
environment ( like Mars ) it might be the clever move.

~~~
sulZ
Are you implying that this truck will be manufactured on Mars at some point?

~~~
bbayer
Yes. I suspect that production line will be designed to be built on Mars.
Design of the car also looks like it is built for high dust environments (non-
flat rooftop). Solar charging, shell with same material with Starship also
supports this thesis.

------
hclalpha
I bet one of the key factors for this thing to be on the road safely was the
development of some kind of unbreakable glass for the huge front window, so
they "had to" make this new type of resistant glass. Some "yes man" at the
upper management level must've decided to skip constrained material testing
(Glass dissipates energy much differently when it is in a frame rather than
just loose... pay close attention at the ball drop demo and you'll see the
glass jump a few inches)

~~~
codezero
Yep. Also they were constantly tightening the screws holding down the glass in
the demo which I though stood out.

------
bchociej
Better utility than a truck? Excuse me? 6.5' bed and you can't even reach over
the sides to get stuff. No stake pockets or any apparent affordance for
installation of racks in the bed either. However, I am a fan of a factory
tonneau cover and what looks like a built-in ramp in the tailgate.

But there's no avoiding that the thing is just ugly as can be.

Frankly I'm just waiting for an all-electric replacement for the bigger Tacoma
/ smaller F150 niche. I don't want or need an 80s stainless steel wedge that
can tow a 747. Rivian doesn't appear to be interested in that segment. Toyota
isn't going to do it until 2025 at best. I was hoping Tesla might, but I'm not
surprised that their first foray barely qualifies as a truck.

~~~
WhompingWindows
It's more powerful than a truck, better for the environment, has the
capability of running tools without a generator, and is actually appealing to
non-truck people -- you're right, it barely qualifies as a truck. And that's a
good thing -- we need FAR less trucks in the world.

------
bt3
Not withstanding the grandeur of the truck, its unique look, and specs; I love
Elon's composure following the somewhat failed glass test that broke both
windows on the vehicle during the live unveiling.

~~~
34679
After announcing the prices, I was really hoping he'd say "..and that's
without broken windows."

------
34679
That's a truck only if you consider a Subaru Baja a truck. If you want a real
crack at the F-150's market share, it has to be usable for work. If you can't
put a stack of plywood or drywall in the back and still have room for tools
and a ladder, it's useless as a work truck. Will this thing even accept a
ladder rack? Has a single person on the design team ever spent a single day
working a blue collar job that requires a truck?

~~~
rubber_duck
I don't know about the car market in the US enough but Tesla seems to be in
the premium segment - are the trucks people buy for this kind of work in the
price range of this thing ?

~~~
mdorazio
100% absolutely. See [1]. People spend an absolutely stupid amount on trucks -
basically no one gets the base model and the average sale price for an F150 is
north of $45k. It's one of the reasons Ford is focusing on the truck segment -
the margins are way higher than for mass market sedans.

[1] [https://www.kbb.com/car-news/pricing-your-next-
ford-f-150-it...](https://www.kbb.com/car-news/pricing-your-next-
ford-f-150-it-could-cost-60000-or-more/2100005698/)

~~~
CelestialTeapot
Yes, people foolishly gravitate toward trucks and SUVs, fattening the wallets
of the car manufacturers and fueling the insanely stupid 7 year auto loan
industry [1]. Of course, this is also disastrous for mitigating carbon
emissions [2]. Additionally, they are a menace on the roadway through
increasing pedestrian accidents and death [3] and likely increasing cyclist
deaths [4]. They should be much more heavily regulated, for commercial use
only, and require special licensing requiring regular accident avoidance
training/testing.

1\.
[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-20/america-s...](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-20/america-
s-truck-love-means-long-term-auto-loans-are-here-to-stay)

2\. [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-
interactive/2019/...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-
interactive/2019/oct/25/suvs-second-biggest-cause-of-emissions-rise-figures-
reveal)

3\. [https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/05/09/study-links-rise-
of-s...](https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/05/09/study-links-rise-of-suvs-to-
the-pedestrian-safety-crisis/)

4\. [https://nypost.com/2019/10/24/transportation-chief-says-
suv-...](https://nypost.com/2019/10/24/transportation-chief-says-suv-
popularity-gentrification-behind-cyclist-deaths/)

------
mffnbs
Elon walked off stage to kill the guy who designed the glass.

~~~
oxplot
ye, Elon was sweating like crazy right after the blunder. I also thought the
presentation could have been rehearsed a little bit better as the slides seem
to be off most of the time (I assume Elon is just way too busy to rehearse
these things).

~~~
leesec
This is how every Tesla presentation goes. It's never been about Steve Jobs
level presentation polish, it's always been about the quality of the product.

~~~
new_realist
Especially the glass.

~~~
adventured
The glass was extremely impressive. You obviously saw the height drop tests
demonstrating the Tesla glass as vastly superior to traditional auto glass.

------
rgbrenner
I’m surprised to see the positive comments about the design.. I saw this and
the first thing I thought was: that’s the ugliest vehicle I’ve ever seen. No
exaggeration.

~~~
emptyfile
If it makes you feel a bit more sane, HN is the only website Ive seen so far
where most people aren't ridiculing this.

I for sure can't believe anyone would ever build this or that anyone would
ever like it.

------
James0x57
What about that "Cybergirl" that introduced Elon?

She called him her "creator". Just an actress (Grimes) on video with weird
almost-flailing gestures or was it an animated AI from a secret Elon project
made in the likeness of Grimes?

[https://youtu.be/0y3wE0pgXcM?t=131](https://youtu.be/0y3wE0pgXcM?t=131)

For real. When she's done talking her expression just goes full neutral like
she's waiting for input.

edit: this is not criticism, I loved it, I am genuinely curious if that
introduction was artificial. Felt uncanny valley.

~~~
tiborsaas
She's an artist and Elon's girlfriend, it was probably her idea to appear like
an AI hologram.

~~~
spectrum1234
Wait are they really still dating and is that really Grimes?

~~~
tiborsaas
I think that's her and that would be really weird if they stopped dating :)

------
danimal88
I'm worried about being on the road with these. If they are as indestructable
as suggested/demonstrated, it seems like everyone else on the road becomes the
crumple zone for both vehicles. Perhaps the anti-dent is different from
crumple zone considerations, but definitely a bit intimidating to share the
road with.

And does it only come in one color (stainless)?

~~~
sp332
There might be a practical reason it's not painted:
[https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/1/18291091/tesla-epa-fine-
ha...](https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/1/18291091/tesla-epa-fine-hazardous-
waste-fremont-factory)

~~~
rcMgD2BwE72F
So you think a $31,000 fine matters more than a $200,000,000 paint shop? That
isn't even counting the cost of painting the cars (paint, labor…).

Source: [https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-
pi...](https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-
engineering-manufacturing)

------
etaioinshrdlu
Who would have thought that the comically ugly renders of a few weeks ago
would turn out to be spot on? This was jaw dropping.

~~~
leesec
Would like to see a render that looks like this did.

------
Al-Khwarizmi
So, from the comments here and elsewhere, it's a Marmite thing. A majority
seem to hate the design but a significant minority absolutely loves it.

That doesn't look bad for sales. I'd rather have a group of enthusiasts that
love the product, and a group of haters, than have everyone going "meh".
Firstly because many of the enthusiasts will probably buy the product, and
secondly because controversy is free advertising.

Personally I do like the aesthetics, although I'm not in the demographic that
buys trucks.

------
profitnot
The price point is incredibly low for the capacity and performance. Go price a
high-end Ram/F-series/Chevy and be amazed that you can easily spend 65K on
something you'd feel comfortable taking a date to dinner in. I was shocked by
the first look, but the practicality is there. I'd buy one, if I wasn't in the
"post-payoff" period of my SUV. If the incentives are there and fuel costs
rise, I think I could convince my spouse.

------
starpilot
The tall, angled side fins above the bed are a dealbreaker for me. Makes it
too hard to reach in, also more awkward to climb into from the side by
standing on a tire. It sucks that you wouldn't be able to rest anything
horizontally on them without having it slide off. I'm curious as to how well
it'll hold a rack: [https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Truck-Racks-Van-
Racks/...](https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Truck-Racks-Van-Racks/ROLA-
Haul-Your-Might-Truck-Bed-Rack). I wonder if this will be another form >
function, like with the Tesla Model X whose gull wing doors make it impossible
to hold a roof rack.

------
dchuk
This is nearly April fools joke level. Ignoring the individual aesthetic, it
just stands in such stark contrast to the rest of the curved, sleek vehicles
in their fleet.

Surprising.

~~~
matt-attack
I literally checked my watch to see the date.

~~~
nine_k
Yes, the year must have been of some cyberpunk future, because the look is
right from there.

I can't but notice how the "futuristic" car designs from my childhood are now
pretty common in mass-produced cars. I suggest the recent sci-fi movie
esthetics are going to be common soon enough, and this truck is an example.

~~~
vineyardmike
Because all the people that grew up reading/watching sci-fi ended up as CEOs
and important people in business.

------
dewey
While I generally think Tesla cars are pretty ugly and boring I can't
understand the criticism for this one that much.

Finally something that looks a bit different than all the VW and Audis you see
on the street, reminds me of the Countach or brutalist buildings.

~~~
spectrum1234
Do you honestly think both the S and 3 are ugly?

~~~
dewey
Yes, but taste is subjective so I know I'm probably not in the majority with
that opinion here.

------
mikenew
Watching this was... cerebral. The impression I get is that Tesla made this
truck because they wanted to, and they don't really care too much what people
think of it.

~~~
smoovb
They made it to erase any doubt about an electric truck being tough.

~~~
new_realist
Or practical. That bed is insanely bad.

~~~
profitnot
Why, exactly?

~~~
tapatio
It’s on 6.5 feet. You can’t put an existing truck camper on it.

~~~
profitnot
What a great opportunity for the Aftermarket market.

~~~
tapatio
Yeah, I’m sure the truck camper companies like Lance are going to jump on
this. Hopefully they design something that matches the CyberTruck design and
integrates seamlessly.

------
noonespecial
I was kind of hoping the Tesla pickup was going to be a reality. I was
thinking of a cross between A model 3 and an F150 and was legitimately
excited.

If this is the "Tesla Pickup" count me as bitterly disappointed.

~~~
closeparen
This [0] is the Tesla pickup.

[0] [https://youtu.be/R35gWBtLCYg](https://youtu.be/R35gWBtLCYg)

~~~
fotbr
I've got a truck (an older Tacoma) and too many hobbies that make it hard to
give up, so I'll likely always have a truck.

If Tesla had introduced a factory version of Simone's, I'd be screaming at
them to shut up and take my money.

This thing...I'm sorry, I can't get over the styling. I love the numbers, and
don't even find the pricing to be too horrible, but there's no away I'll have
something that looks like that. Maybe Tesla truck 2.0 will be worth looking
at.

~~~
simonebrunozzi
What's "Simone" in this context? (my name is Simone and I just got curious)

~~~
closeparen
Simone Giertz, the Queen of Shitty Robots.

------
mberning
The branding and aesthetic of this truck is so untesla it is alarming. Trucks
are very expensive nowadays so this could be good market for them. Especially
if people buy them for the novelty. As far as actual work is concerned I feel
that this will be roughed up very badly in no time, and being a unibody of
sorts will present some problems and expense to repair. It’s pretty much the
opposite of what you would want from a pure work standpoint. Something that is
built more like an overgrown UTV would be better for Real work.

------
hongzi
Interesting, the no rear-view mirror design is already approved by regulations
and being deployed. Roadster shouldn't be far now +.+

~~~
kissickas
No side-view mirrors, you mean? Or is this lacking a rear-view mirror?

~~~
skiman10
The rear-view mirror is a display that shows the back camera feed. In the
prototype at least.

~~~
kissickas
Interesting. It's also lacking side-view mirrors, but I haven't heard anything
about how they managed that.

------
emptybits
Thoughts on towing. (I like to RV.)

* Its capacity of 7,500+ lbs isn't too shabby. Not F150/1500 class. But Jeep Gladiator territory, which is another much-awaited domestic truck getting some attention.

* I'm assuming the 250+ mile range drops significantly when towing.

* When camped at sites serviced by electricity, it's often 30/50 amp service and unmetered. Good for recharging!

I'm unlikely to jump on board yet, but this is a beautiful experiment and
there will be many trucking niche users watching!

~~~
205guy
Please don't be that EV owner that mooches off of "free" sockets. Or at least
ask first. RV parks aren't expecting people to use $5-10 of electricity
overnight, and they'll get upset at EV owners.

Just get the 200kwH model (my est for the 500 mi range), plug the RV into the
truck, and go boondocking for a week with A/C, fridge, induction cooker, and
no propane. Extra bonus if the truck supports charging from the 2kW array on
the roof of the RV.

~~~
ryacko
It is tax detectable to donate directly to a public government, if you feel
uncomfortable about it.

------
XorNot
The 8x4 sheet is the question for me about this. If I can get 8x4 inside this
flat, then I will absolutely buy one no questions.

------
foxes
Maybe this is controversial, but I really like the aesthetic. It definitely
has a futuristic, industrial cyberpunk vibe. I wouldn't call it "pretty", but
it's distinctive.

------
ijidak
Ok. Not sure what to make of this line:

> With the ability to pull near infinite mass

That's the opening line from one of the slides on the slide show...

That seems a like a bit of an overstatement... Just a tad.

------
usaphp
This looks so fucking good, like a fuck you to traditional car manufacturers,
I think it's bold and very very unusual.

I would rather see these type of cars in the future than what Chevy Bolt,
Prius look like. Really looking forward to seeing this on the streets.

------
ranDOMscripts
This is the first mainstream security truck at an affordable price. The sales
on this are going to be higher than anybody expects. Every rapper, drug
dealer, and dirtbag politician that doesn't want to go out like Tupac will buy
one. The weekend warriors who had to give up their Hummers will buy one. The
Mexican/Colombian cartels will all drive them because it's already bullet
resistant but with that power, it can easily be modded with an extra 1/4 inch
plate. The regular folks who live in places where carjacking is common
(Brazil, Venezuela, South Africa, etc.) will buy them. It's going to sell
very, very well.

~~~
grandridge
Elon, is that you?

------
vincnetas
So additionally to "Bioweapon Defense Mode" this will also be invisible to
radars?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_technology)

------
vsskanth
As an automotive engineer my mind is unable to process this as real.

Are they being serious?

Very very risky move on styling

------
revscat
I’m unsure what to think. Kudos for breaking the mold, I guess.

------
GhostVII
I wonder what it will look like when it is actually produced, doubt it passes
US standards in it's current form. Needs some mirrors at the very least,
although maybe at the time of release cameras will be a legal replacement.

------
patrec
All those sharp edges must make running over pedestrians even more fun than
with a plain SUV or truck. Looks easy to clean, too.

------
vgchh
Not sure why I would buy a Model Y. I love this thing. It feels safer, carries
6 people and is a full utility. And all of that with gorgeously edgy styling.
Can we please move this up before the Model Y Tesla?

------
maest
That thing looks like it would do a lot of damage if it hit a pedestrian.
Aren't there regulations that are supposed to enforce designs that increase
the survival chances of people hit by cars?

------
WheelsAtLarge
Quote from the website "You will be able to complete your configuration as
production nears in late 2021. Tri Motor AWD production is expected to begin
in late 2022."

Ya right, production starts in 2 years. I would guess 4 yrs and I know nothing
about car production. But I do know that just getting the subcontractors in
order will take more than a year even if you have an assembly line in place
already. Why is Tesla so optimistic about timelines? It just hurts it's
reputation when they are years late.

~~~
spartanscrub
They are literally ahead of schedule with their next vehicle; the Model Y.

------
seibelj
I'm not the one who would buy this as I live in Boston and drive a tiny car.
But I thought it was really cool. Reminds me of futuristic cars from 80's
action movies.

------
lazyguy2
Finally. A 1980's videogame car. The future really is now.

------
Gravityloss
Is it a good idea to make it so shiny? Coupled with the slab sides, you get
quite strong reflections. Could be annoying at best to other drivers and
potentially dangerous.

------
xyst
Eccentric billionaires, got to love em.

I was looking for an electric truck to buy and was hoping this Cybertruck
would be a replacement, but I think I’ll stick with my gas sipping sedan for
awhile longer after seeing this announcement.

I’ll wait for the next iterations or a better alternative offered by the
competition. I just can’t see myself driving this “box.” Reminds me of those
early 90s SUVs, but like 10x uglier.

Specs are impressive but I just can’t get over the aesthetics.

------
gclawes
What did I just watch?

~~~
baddox
You watched them appear to accidentally break both side windows then do the
rest of the event with shattered windows.

------
FlyingSideKick
I love the new look and am curious about if the exoskeleton has crumple points
to reduce the kinetic energy imparted to the passengers during a collision.

------
henearkr
Yeah by the way which is the biggest news, the truck or the ATV? Or both?
Personnally I would by wildy interested by the Tesla ATV and less by the truck

------
blauditore
Personally I like cars with rough edges like this. But there's a reason no one
except for Lamborghini is building low-polygon cars: It's pretty inefficient
aerodynamically.

But this looks like just an early concept. Those always look much more
spectacular than the final, real-world version where physics and laws need to
be respected. We can probably expect it to end up looking a bit more round and
less exciting.

------
hpen
I definitely want to drive this truck. But never want to be seen driving this
truck

~~~
fastball
I would. Ignoring sports/concept cars, this is arguably the most futuristic
looking car in a long time.

------
bigintjin
I think this product, tesla cybertruck, is a good display of "function is
form". Usually people preface "function over form" or "form over function".
But in this case, the functionality of this truck solves the reason to have a
truck REALLY WELL. The form of the truck comes from being a very practical,
efficient use of a truck.

Form has been getting seeping into "aesthetics", which is good and all, but is
that really where it should go? Sure, it's nice to look at something pretty,
but why not have some cases where form fits the functionality perfectly.

I think this is a good implementation of mending the two practices into one
harmonious product where function and form balances each other out.

Function: strong outer body, powerful, and everything serves a purpose.

Form: tesla's well-known low-drag design, probs makes manufacturing simpler
(not easier per say, but simpler), etc.

I can't think of all the reasonings of functions and forms, but I just think
this cybertruck would be super useful to have in particular blue-collar jobs.

------
noonespecial
"Order Now" ->

Too Many Requests

Guru Meditation:

XID: 2262329

Props for an error page that tickled my nostalgia in a most geeky way.

~~~
Gaelan
That's from Varnish, a proxy server.

------
krilly
Anyone else think this looks awful? Especially compared to BMWs i series,
which is unashamedly futuristic but also, well, nice

------
oxplot
Live streaming of people trying it out:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDztHFa0_Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDztHFa0_Q)
,
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoutN_Ezs8w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoutN_Ezs8w)

------
spectramax
I feel like we're going through a similar phase as the 50's where all American
cars had huge flarings that had no purpose, but they had aesthetic value. This
thing is too much style for the sake of style. In some ways, it is cool - use
aesthetics to market to masses, change the world - one gas guzzler at a time.

------
eyegor
I'm reminded of top gear's Geoff [1]. It's that concept car angularity that
makes you believe that it could be manufactured in a shed, if only it had a
frame.

[1]
[https://pics.imcdb.org/0ge20/206146-Geoff.jpg](https://pics.imcdb.org/0ge20/206146-Geoff.jpg)

------
buboard
I think the main point here is that electric cars (being simpler and having
few parts) also cater to extremely versatile designs. I wonder how far they
could gog away from the classic truck design within allowed regulations (like,
a shorter front, different positioning etc). Clearly aesthetics are not a
concert here.

------
laacz
The design might be intentional. Knowing that they would not be able to
fulfill all orders of a beautiful Cybertruck, this might be a smart move.
Reduces number of potential orders, proves a EV pick-up truck point, and sets
an extreme price baseline, which for other manufacturers could be very hard to
reach.

------
coding123
I suspect that over the next 6 months to a year, everyone will want this
truck. They think it is awful right now. They are shocked. This will change.
People are going to start asking the automotive industry for the future. I was
disgusted yesterday. I'm interested in this vehicle today.

------
trimbo
I can't be the only one who sees the design similarities to the Delorean,
right? And to top it off it's stainless steel...

~~~
asteli
The unpainted steel of the DeLorean made it a pain in the ass to repair. You
can't pull dents, apply body filler and repaint, you basically need a whole
new panel if you want to restore damage.

~~~
mullingitover
The part of the demo that was actually impressive was the part where they took
sledgehammers to the body panels and didn't leave dents. I think it'll be
fine.

------
QuantumGood
It looks like it was designed by a guy who makes rockets — and it was. I
admire the chutzpah to make something that looks so different than what is
selling, but it seems like the kind of "futuristic" that would be made from
cardboard in a sixth-grade "back to the Future" theater performance. It's easy
to see what's cool about it, but it's somehow very immature.

Though I admit the longer I've looked at it, the more neutral I feel about it,
but maybe that's just a personality defect.

Elon said in advance he doesn't care if people don't like how it looks, so
clearly he anticipated some negative feedback about the look. I can see it in
a lot of scenarios, but just not in my driveway.

------
lanekare
I am so excited by the Cybertruck. I drive a Toyota minivan now and my lease
is up in the fall of 2021 so the timing is perfect. To me this is the perfect
minivan alternative and my husband is thrilled with the hauling capacity, plus
the specs. Fun to drive, big range and looks cool (but I could not care less
what it looks like since I drive a minivan now!)and the price is the real
hook. No gas needed six seater electric truck that drives like a Porsche?
Sold. So you can get the truck market but also the minivan market. That’s
huge. And my family skis and snowboards so it’s perfect for going to the
mountains. Total all purpose vehicle for an active family. What is not to
love?

------
londons_explore
Entirely flat metal panels tend to be rather disappointing mechanically... Tap
on them and they'll sound like a drum... I forsee major issues with noise from
the body panels fluttering in the wind at high speeds, or just being noisy as
rain hits it.

------
tus88
Is this for real? That rear slope looks like it will kill headroom in the
back.

Looks like a concept car (truck).

------
sebmanchester
I absolutely love this truck's design. I really wonder (and worth noting
because no one else has yet) how much the aerodynamics played into the
aesthetics. The coefficient of drag on this thing is probably great because of
the truck's profile. The trailing edge comes to a point to reduce vortices /
separation of flow (and thus drag), which would have a significant impact on
range. I find it funny because the profile is very similar to that of an older
Prius, which actually had excellent aerodynamics compared to any other car at
the time. Obviously this thing would eat a Prius for a snack, and I wouldn't
be surprised if cybertruck has a better Cd.

------
edwhitesell
I've been waiting for this announcement so I could decide on the next truck I
buy. In terms of specs, it's pretty good. In terms looks, it's terrible. I was
hoping Tesla would put out a vehicle to be top of the list, they failed.

------
FOLKDISCO
From the side, the pickup initially looks downright weird. But I think in
three dimensions, it looks astonishing and brilliant. But the thing that
really gets me is the 3+3 seating. We've got two sets of twins, and I drive
one of the very few cars on the road with 3+3 seating, a Fiat Multipla. It
just works for big families. To some it's the ugliest car on the road, but to
me that car goes all the way around to beautiful, and no one denies its
practicality. Whenever I see another one we almost always wave to each other.
Hey, beauty is all in the beholder, and the Tesla looks great. I'd love an
estate/Station wagon even more.

------
gurumeditations
Regardless of its power, that is the ugliest car design I’ve ever seen. Seeing
it in the stage in video after the renders on the website made it even worse.
Nerds may think it’s cool, but I doubt you’ll catch many people riding around
in it.

------
homonculus1
From a distance you can sort of see what the were going for, but looking at it
up close it's dumb ugly. I imagine they thought they were being clever and
minimal with the straight lines and utter lack of subtlety, but the result is
just clunky and inept. It's like a child's crude drawing, and the fact that
adults actually made this is absurd. It reminds me of TARS from _Interstellar_
, which is another design people inexplicably praised.

I probably hate this even more for the fact that I adore the angular
Fiero/Lambo/DeLorean/Blade Runner aesthetic. This is such a poorly botched,
cluelessly literal interpretation of that.

------
asdkhadsj
I'm not a car or truck person.. so forgive the ignorance.. but is it rear
wheel only? The `Drivetrain: REAR-WHEEL DRIVE` section has me perplexed for a
number of reasons.

1\. I thought Teslas where all wheel? Ie, the nature of how they work is such
that each wheel was a motor. Is that not the case for this one?

2\. Isn't all-wheel a valuable offering? This doesn't seem to be an off-road
focused vehicle.. but nevertheless I personally value all wheel. Am I wrong in
this?

I find this weird. I can't afford it anyway, BUT, I have often joked that I
need a small Tesla truck to replace my Prius. However, strangely nothing about
this interests me. Even if I had the money.

~~~
robcohen
There are other motor options which have AWD. There's also an option which
tows 14,000 lbs, which is a very large load, double the load an F-150 tows.

------
billconan
Looks like they want to win some military contract ...

I really like the dent free exterior and the color.

------
shadykiller
It’s gonna cut any pedestrians it hits into half

~~~
klyrs
Sure, but the pedestrian will cut the window in half

------
drinchev
But this looks like a prototype. No windshields, no side mirrors. Is this even
legal?

------
dghughes
That roof will not work very well in areas with snow. You're going to spend an
hour cleaning off the snow and ice. In my region a hefty fine is in store for
anyone who does not clear snow and ice from their vehicle roof.

~~~
perspective1
Why do you say that? With the slope and adjustable suspension I'd think it'd
be easier-- you just lower the truck and brush the snow down in a few swoops.

~~~
dghughes
Snow sticks it's not always like magic light fluffy movie snow. And ice can
seem like it's been welded on. Plus it looks like a very long reach to get to
it.

I drive a Dodge 2500 4x4 and my roof is 1/3 the size of that beast. And it's
6'6" high which makes it awkward to be able to remove ice. If ice flies off
and hits another vehicle while I am driving I am in big trouble, and rightly
so.

------
dirtyid
Form over factor = endearingly ugly. I can see the narrative for a simple
aerodynamic wedge eventually changing public sentiment. Basically the
modernist argument against decoration. If this actually ends up being a solid
workhorse, the same energy efficiency and fragile masculinity arguments that
shamed humvee owners might also work against frou-frou status symbol pickup
trucks. That said the bedrail is high AF so I don't even know if this design
is practical. I assume there's some sort hood and winch int he front, and
mounts for lights / accessories that would ruin the profile.

------
martin-adams
I wonder how a design like this stacks up when taking pedestrian safety into
consideration. Of course, with self driving safety features you could argue it
should never hit a pedestrian.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_safety_through_vehi...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_safety_through_vehicle_design)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_safety_through_vehi...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_safety_through_vehicle_design#/media/File:PedCrashSequence.png)

------
Finbarr
You can pre-order with a down payment of only $100 today for delivery in late
2021.

~~~
omarchowdhury
Does that guarantee a purchase spot?

------
XMPPwocky
The video link stopped working halfway through for me, but that design isn't
final, right? Looks like an early prototype for integration testing- that
angular look can't be what it'll actually ship like?

~~~
ganoushoreilly
That's the final look, what i'd like to see is more about that new ATV!

------
nexneo
20 years late but finally it started to feel like we are living in 21st
century.

------
yummypaint
Most people who have trucks rarely use them for things a car or suv couldn't
do. I think the range limitations when towing and other limitations probably
won't hurt sales because people who have to do serious long distance towing
wouldnt consider a tesla anyway. The cybertruck will be used as a big car by
most people most of the time. As long as it is able to maintain the
aspirational marketing properties of other trucks it should do well in the US.
Plus it has the chicken tax on its side.

------
dognotdog
... and I'm just sitting here wondering if the rims really are not round (as
it's interlock the tire design seems to indeed indicate), and why on earth one
would do that?

------
mrsmeds
Inspired by
[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/porygon](https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/porygon)

------
MR4D
I wonder if the motor is 1.21 gigawatts.

John Delorean is back!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-77xulkB_U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-77xulkB_U)

------
pengstrom
I'm not up to speed with US regulations, but the design seems very dangerous
for pedestrian collisions. A sharp and hard shell must be very harmful, even
at low speeds.

------
sandov
"What does this monstrosity cost?"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPc-
VEqBPHI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPc-VEqBPHI)

------
GistNoesis
Who wants Simone's Truckla instead ?
[https://twitter.com/SimoneGiertz](https://twitter.com/SimoneGiertz)

------
naskwo
Let's hope these trucks are more reliable than the Teslas that are in use as
electric taxis at Amsterdam Airport:
[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=nl&sl=auto&tl=en&u...](https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=nl&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrc.nl%2Fnieuws%2F2019%2F11%2F20%2Fin-3-jaar-
moest-de-taxi-33-keer-terug-naar-tesla-a3981098)

------
gkfasdfasdf
Ugliness aside, I wonder if the onboard electrical outlets will allow it to be
used as emergency power for a fridge / sump pump in case of a power outage.

------
ummonk
This seems to be the electric version of the hummer. Not a practical
replacement to actual pickup trucks, but a lot of coolness factor for people
who want it.

------
noisy_boy
For some reason, immediately reminded of Knight Rider[0]. I hope the lights
strobe[1].

[0]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Rider_(1982_TV_series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Rider_\(1982_TV_series\))
[1]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj80Kwenh6I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj80Kwenh6I)

------
maxehmookau
I'm not crazy, right? This thing is totally hideous.

------
friedman23
I'm impressed, honestly, I want one. I imagine this is going to become a cool
collectors item some day. I never want to be seen driving it though.

------
anonu
I don't think this is a legit new model by Tesla. Do you really think they
wouldn't have properly tested their "shatter-proof" windows before a global
unveil? And fail twice?

This is a really well orchestrated publicity stunt designed to boost the stock
price. They calculated that even the failed shatter proof windows wouldn't
matter much in public opinion because the car itself is so ugly.

------
themagician
Ya'll joke, but I don't suspect they are going to make/sell a lot of these and
if Tesla goes under in the near future these things will skyrocket in value.

If you really want to bet against Tesla, buy one of these and wait for Tesla
to fold. No one will ever make anything like this again.

I could even imagine them only making a few hundred of these and them all
being worth a million dollars after the company collapses.

------
simonebrunozzi
Wow. This thread is going to be one of the most commented of the year.

Tesla has been really bold with the design, I love it, and I hope Tesla will
be rewarded for it.

------
nbrempel
I wonder if this video will be erased from the internet

~~~
nitrogen
There was a video? Didn't see anything on my phone just now.

------
excalibur
Assuming these ever make it to production, the will absolutely be the vehicle
featured in the eventual inevitable _Back to the Future_ reboot.

------
reallydontask
Is it just me who is a bit wary of the sports car claims?

Acceleration is going to be impressive and CoG will be lower than for similar
vehicles but likely much higher than say for a BMW M2 or similar sporty car,
so cornering isn't likely to be anywhere near as good which coupled with the
extra weight, it seems that this will be good for a pick up truck but no
competition for a car in a circuit.

------
abvdasker
Given how homogenous the last 20 years of automotive design has been I'm
really impressed by Tesla's willingness to do something so radically
different.

Jobs understood the power of great design: Conceiving a product that people
don't know they want until you show them. Not normally a big fan of Musk or
Tesla, but this feels like one of those products. It feels like the future.

------
JustSomeNobody
It will be interesting to see just how useful the bed is. Angled sides are
usually a non-starter for a work truck. Also, if this is supposed to be a bug-
out vehicle, how do you charge it when it’s bugged-out?

Anyway, the design is certainly getting people talking. We’ll have to wait and
see if Ford and Chevy have any response to this in terms of how their design
language changes.

------
mxfh
Nobody noticed, that besides _Armour Glass_ they also sold a _Dead blow
hammer_ as a _Sledgehammer_.

These are categorically opposite things in terms of impact force. How gullible
must they think, their audience is?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_blow_hammer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_blow_hammer)

~~~
mxfh
Even worse the first trials against the conventional door were partly
sideways, where the dead blow hammer just functions like a regular hammer or
worse depending on area size of impact with P=F/A.

------
select-all
The renders on their site are exceptionally bad. They don't even look quite
like renders, rather hand-made sketches with textures applied on top. The
design of the truck is not that bad and I bet the car would look fantastic in
real life and on real photos, with all the minor detail, reflections and the
feel of the real material, that is now missing.

~~~
jiofih
Most are not renders, just heavy photoshop.

------
themagician
So weird that people take the design here personally. This thing looks FUN. It
seems just as ridiculous looking as an F-350 to me, and more practical than a
Hummer.

This is what I imagine a luxury vehicle looking like post zombie apocalypse.
Most of the world falls apart, but the 1% create disconnected suburban
paradises and this is what you drive to get between them.

------
raldi
Everyone in this comment thread is referring to a video of a live event, but I
can't find any such thing on the linked site.

~~~
tamalpais
It was at livestream.tesla.com. Looks like the stream is no longer up.

------
seph-reed
Something I haven't seen mentioned much is that this is going to be one of the
only cars on the market that you can fix the exterior on with plate-steel and
a welder. In terms of apocalyptic vehicles, this is amazing. Also, in terms of
me fucking hating curvy bullshit that nobody can work on without special
tools... I really like it.

------
manigandham
This design is just strange. When the Model S was introduced, Tesla
specifically stated that it was designed to look like high-end luxury/sports
cars instead of following the funky/future design that hybrids always had
until.

Interesting that they reversed it with this truck, and I wonder how it'll
affect the market of potential truck buyers.

------
kijin
It looks like Elon ordered a little too much stainless steel for his Starship
fleet and wants to put it to a more earthly use.

------
pa7ch
I kind of love it. Seems to hit the mark on price, range, capability, size.

Would personally only want a van version, or possibly just the ability to take
out the second seats and barrier. Would be great then for urban travel and
camping.

Also would love to learn more about the engineering trade-offs in their
exoskeleton structure over traditional frame on body designs.

------
amai
Very militaristic design. In fact it looks like the russian Zil Punisher:
[https://www.topspeed.com/cars/zil-
punisher/ke5011.html](https://www.topspeed.com/cars/zil-punisher/ke5011.html)
Maybe Musk is planning to sell his vechicles to the military, also?

------
ry4n413
Ever since that cement bridge collapsed at Florida International University a
few months ago on top of cars, I've been wondering if any type of car could
withstand the force of such a scenario.

Anyone know if this truck could withstand the scenario? Hopefully someone
smart with the Physics or Engineering can help me out with an answer.

------
spectrum1234
I can't believe how cheap this is. They could charge 10k more for each, at
least for 1-2 years. What am I missing?

------
hooschen
Anyone knows how the laser lighting works on stage. The effect looks like the
light beam has a start/end and can move, similar to a lightsaber. e.g. around
-44minutes
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZbVixSkgu0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZbVixSkgu0)

------
sebringj
The cab/bed ratio is off IMO, should have a bigger bed to look more truck-like
regardless of the future styling.

------
aivosha
Does anyone else see a problem in giving virtually indestructible (or at least
much more so than any other car) in the hands of typical "truck driver" or is
it just me ? I can just picture a dumbass in this truck on the highway not
giving two shits about other cars around him. I dont like this picture.

------
lazyjones
It certainly doesn't fit in with current car aesthetics that try to mimic
something like a bulging piece of muscle with a face. It's like straight out
of the future we were hoping for in the 80's, where machines were cold, hard
steel and not mushy plastic. Has Arnold Schwarzenegger preordered one?

------
ping_pong
It looks like it was designed in Minecraft.

~~~
GrayTextIsTruth
looks like a low poly design.

------
oskarpearson
I really like the design. It seems like the sci-fi car designs from my
childhood are finally here.

I just found this! [https://www.motor1.com/photo/486061/1980-citroen-
karin-48606...](https://www.motor1.com/photo/486061/1980-citroen-
karin-486061/)

------
jbc1
Reminds me of an old game I used to play where you drove around a blocky
vehicle with a similar shape. Now I can't stop trying to think of the name of
it.

EDIT: Was the link changed right after posting? Everyone's talking about a
failed glass demo with Elon and all I'm seeing is photos of an odd looking
truck.

~~~
klyrs
Kinda reminds me of the ships in the Descent series.

~~~
_Microft
Oh yeah, the Pyro (GL?) looked absolutely awesome.

------
YeGoblynQueenne
This looks extremely dangerous. It looks like it could mow down a whole
sidewalk full of people if the driver made a wrong turn.

So I guess this one won't be marketed for its safety and its ability reduce
traffic deaths, like the Teslas with Autopilot. Or will this also have
Autopilot? That sounds even worse somehow.

~~~
kortilla
Which feature allows it to mow people down better?

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
From Tesla's website:

 _EXOSKELETON

Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and
passenger protection. Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton, every
component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X
Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass._

[https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck?redirect=no](https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck?redirect=no)

The steel exterior coupled with the flat square front seems to me like a
perfect combination to kill in a collision with a person.

By the way, visiting the website I can confirm that the word "safety" is
nowhere to be found.

~~~
kortilla
You do know trucks with brush guards already have no problem mowing down tons
of people, right?

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
So we should just make more?

~~~
kortilla
Yes, they are a non-issue.

------
aiphex
I appreciate the vaporwave aesthetic. I like that it was given space to be
designed by someone passionate and not a design by committee - appeal to the
masses blob. Unfortunately what they came up with is crap. I'm worried this
will kill off any further vaporwave designs because it is so bad.

------
avs733
Angular vehicle

Stainless steel body

Smaller auto manufacturer with potentially dubious finances

Charasmatic founder with a host of drug use

I feel like I've heard this
story...before...[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_Motor_Company](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_Motor_Company)

------
ryanicale
Could you live in one of these cybertrucks? Put in a sofabed in the back,
small kitchen, work table, router...

------
godelmachine
Alright.

So I just wanna step aside and stop drooling over how handsome/ ugly it is and
ask a real question.

Has a prototype been created, and shown at any expo?

Or Elon is just gonna squeeze money out of starry eyed buyers now and only
then start design + production?

In the past he has been late by months in delivery after making customers
shell out money.

------
snow_mac
I can't see why I'd buy an ugly truck like this instead of an F150. Talk about
ugly and expensive

------
CelestialTeapot
One part Nova Sterling [1], 9 parts hideous. They should have used a CAD
system that supported more than straight lines.

1\.
[https://www.google.com/search?q=nova+sterling&tbm=isch](https://www.google.com/search?q=nova+sterling&tbm=isch)

------
mixedbit
If you like such unconventional design, take a look here:
[https://www.peugeot.co.uk/concept-
cars/e-legend/](https://www.peugeot.co.uk/concept-cars/e-legend/)
unfortunately this one is only a concept car.

------
Iv
The 90s have called... They want their Cyberpunk 2020 font back into something
more legible.

I suggest he hires Hasselhoff for the promotion
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTidn2dBYbY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTidn2dBYbY)

------
olefoo
The included air compressor and security lock on the bed does mean it could be
quite popular with contractors especially given the competitive price.

It does have way too much of the "in case I need to flee the mob to my private
jet to flee to New Zealand" flavor to it though.

~~~
BlueGh0st
Most of the features of this truck are things that we should have already
gotten in our pickup trucks 10 years ago when they started breaching $50k.

Hopefully this will light a fire under Ford/Chevy to actually giving us some
tangible value.

------
TaylorGood
In fashion nothing is new and everything is born again. I love this..

Elon prefaced it best by stating the inspiration was early 007. How amazing a
large-scale mfg can do such a thing. How dare Ford, Cadillac, etc waver from
their aesthetic. It's possible for Elon and he does it.

~~~
rarecoil
So the inspiration is the Lotus Esprit S1 from the Moore era, is my guess:
[https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Lotus_Esprit_S1_(1976)](https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Lotus_Esprit_S1_\(1976\))

------
leesec
Just emphasizing the fact that the top end has a 0-60 in sub seconds is
INSANE. My model 3 is just a base model and is crazy quick, this is 40% faster
than that! Imagine being in a 2019 Porsche and get smoked off the line by this
giant industrial crazy hunk of metal.

------
garysahota93
Is no one else wondering why there are no rear view mirrors on the thing?
Looks really cool though!

~~~
himlion
Probably cameras instead.

------
jmpman
Extend the roofline back, add a third row of seating and charge +$10k... I’d
buy it in a heartbeat.

------
abawany
This announcement eclipsed the previously-announced Bollinger Motors products
([https://bollingermotors.com/](https://bollingermotors.com/)). These were
intriguing but the price ($125k) is a bit eye popping.

------
arkades
So... it looks like they stuck a solid steel shell on a passenger vehicle.

Many of the safety gains that cars have shown in the past few decades come
from strategic crumple zones and the like.

So how does this stand up in terms of actual safety? This seems like it
reverses many of our advancements.

------
jmakov
So basically Tesla is starting products for military and police (armored
offroad vehicles). Cool.

------
Ididntdothis
It’s kind of cool and I like that it looks very different. But do we really
need more super heavy, huge and expensive vehicles on the road? It would be
much better if they put their efforts into something small, efficient and
affordable and made that cool.

~~~
usaphp
Like a model 3?

~~~
Ididntdothis
Much smaller. We need smaller cars.

------
bredren
This looks a lot like the M577 Armored Personnel Carrier from Aliens.

[https://alienanthology.fandom.com/wiki/M577_Armored_Personne...](https://alienanthology.fandom.com/wiki/M577_Armored_Personnel_Carrier)

------
ivanhoe
Does a general public really needs bulletproof cars with unbreakable windows?
What if there's a traffic accident and passengers are caught inside, how do
you get them out? (assuming you don't have a handy metal ball laying around
somewhere :P)

------
irrational
For me, if it can't hold a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat in the bed, it's not a
truck.

------
ssalka
It's a pick-up truck, so... why isn't there a single clear shot of the cargo
bed?

------
generatorguy
Put a new ski-doo in the back and that’s a sick rig! After living through so
many rusted out car bodies I was in to the aluminum f150s but stainless steel
is even better. No paint to worry about scratching up on narrow deactivates
logging roads.

------
hongzi
It would be super cool if the cover of the back truck is a solar panel:
[https://www.tesla.com/xNVh4yUEc3B9/06_Desktop.jpg](https://www.tesla.com/xNVh4yUEc3B9/06_Desktop.jpg)

------
mmartinson
I find this looks goofy, but other than the lack of physical buttons inside,
this is a dream vehicle for me. Most weekends I want to drive 4 people + 4
mountain bikes a 120 mile round trip including fast highway and rough mountain
roads.

------
jozzas
I quite like the Paul Verhoeven '80s angular action movie aesthetic in
general, but this just looks bad. The proportions are all off. I thought it
was a joke and they were going to bring out the actual truck at some point.

------
komuW
The Citroen Karin[1] concept car has come to life.

1\.
[http://www.citroenet.org.uk/prototypes/karin/karin.html](http://www.citroenet.org.uk/prototypes/karin/karin.html)

------
idlewords
Probably smart to wait for the second generation model with way better vertex
count.

------
ohlookabird
Oh and now the order page can't handle the traffic… Error 429 Too Many
Requests

------
ethagknight
so assuming Elon launchs one of these into space heading for mars in the near
future, will this thing drive on mars? Does the air pressurization system,
super rugged shell, and ATV make this thing ideal for life as a martian?

------
namelosw
Love the design. It's a vehicle, specifically a truck. A simple geometry is
practical and applausable for most of cases.

Those who can't accept the anesthetic couldn't accept current iPhone design in
if they are in 2005 either.

------
fastball
The video seems to have been taken down from official Tesla spots, so here's a
mirror.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwvDOdBHYBw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwvDOdBHYBw)

------
bitxbit
I was hoping for a design similar to the Bollinger. I thought that box look
with Tesla battery could be a big hit.

[https://bollingermotors.com/](https://bollingermotors.com/)

------
macinjosh
The overall feeling of this truck's design transports me back to when I was a
small boy dreaming up my ideal adventure vehicle and drawing it out in my
school notebooks.

It makes me want one just to satisfy my inner child. :)

------
DanGarthwaite
Two things just occurred to me: 1) The built in air compressor is so it can
maintain cabin pressure in space. 2) The shape might have some optimum
cylindrical packing arrangement for starship's cargo bay.

------
xvx
I've seen this vehicle before, in the 2018 film 'Upgrade':
[https://www.imcdb.org/v001169007.html](https://www.imcdb.org/v001169007.html)

------
christkv
The car looks like the car from a B or C level scifi direct to DVD movie :)

------
gwbas1c
Looks cooler than the FJ Cruiser and the Wrangler!

Now if only my wife will be seen in one, we'll be able to tow a travel trailer
and drive on the beach guilt-free!

(But how do we back into a super charger while towing?)

------
flr03
Happy the GPU which will have to render that in the next Gran Turismo.

------
ethagknight
Late 2021 delivery of the dual motor, late 2022 of the trimotor model

------
jdkee
For some reason it strongly reminds me of the drop ship tank from Aliens.

[https://www.imcdb.org/v040477.html](https://www.imcdb.org/v040477.html)

------
rdl
Curious why there isn't a Founders Series on this car -- full prepayment (on a
loaded config) for first-in-line position, which helps them with cashflow (a
major issue for Tesls).

------
NikolaNovak
What is the visibility like from that angular cockpit, I wonder?

------
xwdv
It would be cool if military vehicles looked like this though.

------
MagnumPIG
I'm getting a strong "Homer Simpson's car" vibe from this. I'm rooting for
Tesla but this... I wouldn't even want to _ride_ in it.

------
chemmail
Everyone thought this thing was a joke and waiting for the real truck reveal
esp after all the laughing and smashing of the windows. Next day all of us
wants one.

------
londons_explore
Rumours are this will be folded rather than pressed...

Is there a source for this? I'd press parts if I were designing it - unless
you want welds showing at the corners!

~~~
grecy
Motortrend are saying this (They had access to it back in September).

It's going to drastically reduce production costs.

[https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-
pi...](https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-
engineering-manufacturing)

~~~
londons_explore
I don't agree - as soon as you need to make more than one fold in a bit of
steel, then pressing becomes cheaper in volume.

People fold prototypes because the press dies are expensive to make, but when
made, a press can fold all the edges at once.

Even cheap washing machines are all pressed steel.

------
chromaton
Reminds me of a Syd Mead design or something from Car Wars.

------
tibbydudeza
Looks like that RV prop "Ark II" from that 70 s scifi show ... ex BMW flame
surfacing car designer Chris Bangle would be proud of so much ugly.

------
wsloth514
Cybertruck's target niche market = thugs, gangs, & drug lords. Why? 9mm bullet
proof, faster than a cop car. Can carry everything and hide it.

------
jonplackett
It’s the frikkin Batmobile! I want one. I will never actually buy one because
a) $$$ and b) I live in a city with small roads. But it looks awesome. No

------
m0zg
Throw in Delorean-style gullwing doors for good measure. It's already
stainless steel. And vertical takeoff and landing. SpaceX can do that too.

------
bori5
Reminds me of the “Homer” upon laying first eyes on it.

~~~
kalleboo
I've seen that meme floating around on Twitter, but I don't get it.

The "Homer" was a car with a million little crazy details added onto it. It
was bubbly and green.

This thing has all the details _removed_ from it (it doesn't even have side
mirrors!), and it's flat and black and gray.

There's zero resemblance? Is the joke just that "it's different from other
cars"?

------
rasz
Cybertruck you say? and that font? Let me guess, release date somewhere around
April 16 2020? Is this a Cyberpunk 2077 cross promotion gimmick?

------
erikig
I think the most underrated part of the presentation was the Tesla ATV - I
think that might end up being Tesla’s most successful product yet.

------
retpirato
their demo of it reminded me of some of Apple's product demos when things
didn't "just work" like Apple likes to brag that they do. Steve Jobs actually
made them funny to watch.
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-50513294](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-50513294)

------
big_chungus
This thing looks like one of those low-poly svgs used while loading the full
thing; I keep expecting an actual truck to appear, but no dice.

------
BjoernKW
That design looks like straight from the Tron movies, which perhaps is just
the aesthetic and associated nostalgia Tesla is aiming for here.

------
Apocryphon
I like to imagine the name is a homage to Cyberduck.

------
gigatexal
I’m so glad they went with a unique design. This looks so crazy it will likely
be talked about for days and months to come. And I want one!

------
noetic_techy
Elon: "... and its bulletproof!"

Hardware Eng #1 turns to Hardware Eng #2: "Wait... where does it say that in
the spec we received..."

------
devit
Looks horrendous to me, but I guess many people love it.

Also, "truck" doesn't seem appropriate at all, maybe "tugcar" would be?

------
killjoywashere
I didn't even realize there was an announcement event. Don't care. Take my
$100. This is the beast-mode version of a Model S.

------
bamboozled
I don't really own a car, I don't really consider myself "a car guy" but I
want this truck, it's beautiful and awesome.

Bravo.

------
et2o
They are going to sell an insane amount of these.

------
cbzehner
Even if the target market fails, they’ve got a fallback. These things are
going to be on Hollywood sci-fi sets for years to come!

------
soulofmischief
> near infinite mass

What is "near infinite"? Ten?

I'm not a fan of this marketing faux pas. Also, the carousel moves too fast
for me to read it.

------
madoublet
Not a huge fan of the design. But, it just seems like it would be a horrible
truck. How are you suppose to get to the bed?

------
danans
I sense a disturbance in the force, like the voices of millions of inner nine
year olds howling in ecstasy (myself included)

------
botto
This is dystopian future car, how many sci fi movies have we seen with cars
looking like this? I.e. Ghost in the Shell

------
cagenut
It is amazing how weird and poorly produced these things are. The cheesy
outfits, the terrible lighting, the window demo failure. Its like they go out
of their way to cut corners and look unprofessional to strike some kind of
authenticity note. Like, obviously they're not faking the demo, or the windows
wouldn't have broken. And the mumbling fumble/botched-transition to the ATV...

VH1 interns could produce a better event than this.

------
pizzaparty2
Sure would be a shame if the Internet reacted to this like they did when
screenshots of the new Sonic movie came out.

------
mobilemidget
Pity HN doesn't support polls, I would loved to have seen a number on the
people who love/hate this design.

------
hodder
Given Tesla has axed their capex to almost nothing due to their liquidity
crunch it is highly unlikely this ever gets built. Same with the semi truck.

These “Product” unveils are designed to pull in cash deposits to fund current
expenses and massive cash incineration, not future development.

This will likely never be built and if you are thinking of giving Tesla a
deposit for anything they currently are not producing I implore you to look at
Tesla’s balance sheet.

~~~
goshx
$100 pre-order would be a rounding error in their balance sheet.

------
anonytrary
If I could only make one goofy comment on HN every week, I'd probably say this
looks like a giant lego truck.

------
MassiveOwl
If it's really made out of stainless, with those angles wouldn't it fail on
pedestrian collision tests?

------
rishabhd
The 80's called, they want their truck back.

Jokes apart, what is the target demographic and what about the unusual
aesthetic?

------
nedsma
Let's be honest, Cybertruck (CYBERTRK) is one hell of a name, compared for
example to Model T or Model B.

------
ik8s
I'm sorry, but this looks terrible... I can't imagine seeing the average
person driving this at all.

------
tom_sawyer
I cannot imagine buying a truck without racks for lumber or ladders or paddle
board. I use my rack so much.

------
mwattsun
Speaking of stealth, how well will self driving autonomous cars be able to
detect a Cybertruck on the road?

------
Insanity
I really dislike how trucks look, but this one actually looks pretty cool.

Not something great for our European roads though.

------
rdtwtf
This looks like something out of Total Recall, which maybe makes sense since
Musk is obsessed with Mars.

------
justinzollars
I love it. It looks like the future, but also reminds me of Johnny Cab from
Total Recall. Still love it.

------
golover721
I’m excited for it, though I guarantee the end result will look a lot
different than what is presented.

------
kolla
Is there any country other than the US where people see a truck as a viable
option to drive around in?

------
Aloha
Where on earth does one get tires for septagon wheel - I wonder how much those
will cost to replace.

~~~
evandev
Most likely, those are just aesthetics and are more like large hubcaps over a
round tire.

------
babesh
Terminator, Mad Max, Robocop, Batman.

------
debt
It's no coincidence the hull of the Starship will also be made of cold-rolled
stainless steel.

------
wrkronmiller
I wonder if part of the motivation for this design is to test components for
future mars rovers...

------
gerash
The design is such that it's hard to tell if the video on the website are real
or animations.

------
tito
The tent/camping mode looks cool. I’m excited to make an autonomous truck + RV
my next home.

------
rlw001
The best thing about this is you can put your gas powered generator in the bed
to recharge. :)

------
songshuu
I really do wish they had a landing page for the ATV. It was the best part of
the presentation.

------
knolax
When I was a kid I had a phone that kinda looked like a car. This car looks
like that phone.

------
agumonkey
This is what happens when you let Elon binge watch James Cameron movies and
then StreetHawk.

------
rapind
We know Elon is worried about AI. I think the plan is to blend in when Skynet
takes over.

------
Voxoff
Anyone think the window breaking in the demo was done on purpose - for the
media points?

------
velcro
Not really a fan of the design - too rough for this world and too fragile to
survive Mad Max ;)

Plenty of Tesla design concepts online that were way better:
[https://www.behance.net/gallery/78909965/TESLA-
Pickup](https://www.behance.net/gallery/78909965/TESLA-Pickup)

------
rglover
_Get into my Cybertruck with my Cybiko to take a trip through Cyberspace.
Whoosh_.

------
tcbawo
The tri motor version will go from 0-60mph in under three seconds. That's
insane!

------
taurath
$100 preorder seems.... quite low? I wonder how many serious buyers are
reserving one.

------
drharby
The first thing i thought of...its the Delorian. I want one and i want this to
succeed

------
koolba
It looks like a bullet proof DeDelorean and that's not intended as a
complement.

------
antoineMoPa
I think I have to change my graphics card, I see very few polygons on this
website.

------
bena
It looks like it was designed by someone who saw an 80s movie set in the year
2019.

------
buboard
loving the very ugly, but so different design. But are those LED headligths
legal?

------
salawat
Is it just me, or does that thing not look like a rip off of Paloma from
Megarace?

------
api
I _need_ to drive one of these around Dallas, Texas with truck nutz on it.

------
bitL
Low-poly car from the 80s' sci-fi :D

I didn't expect future to materialize like this...

------
scoutt
Where do I hang the back plate?

Also, the ugliest car ever. Worse than the latest Batman car.

------
mattrp
GMC just got pwned with their electric smooshed truck reveal earlier today.

------
phlakaton
I get wanting something that looks different, but difference just for
difference's sake is no virtue.

I think if I had to render the term "alt-right" in vehicular form, it would
look something like this. It seems to me an disturbingly accurate reflection
of our polarized times.

~~~
jfoster
So you're saying it's "too alt-right", right? Isn't the alt-right also the
group that doesn't believe in climate change? So they'd never adopt an
electric vehicle based on its virtue of being electric. What if the vehicle is
made specifically to appeal to them, though, and just happens to also be
electric?

I don't know whether your premise is correct or not, but if it is, this might
be genius.

~~~
phlakaton
I think you've got it precisely right.

------
esotericn
Apparently Blade Runner was set yesterday.

Well, we're there folks. Just needs VTOL. ;)

------
londons_explore
Anyone got a link to the original video of this event?

Seems to have vanished from the net.

------
kevinventullo
It reminds me of the robot dogs from the Black Mirror episode Metalhead.

------
aplummer
I like the car but it seems really dangerous to pedestrians in a crash.

------
elisharobinson
the car would look 70% better if they remove a triangle of steel between the
bowl and the end of the roof. i think i am warming up to the design after
seeing more pics in better lighting.

------
rerpha
I'll stick with my 50 year old cars thanks - this looks shite.

------
trianglem
How is it that all ~2000 comments are under one discussion thread?

------
Grustaf
I would rather buy a Bollinger Motors truck, this is just too ugly

------
tapatio
So weird and terrible looking that I love it. My pre-order is in!

------
Angostura
Designed to appeal to all the people who grew up playing Elite.

------
IAmGraydon
All of the aesthetic stuff aside, the high sides next to the bed make it
completely useless as an actual pickup truck. This is what it looks like when
a bunch of people who have never done manual labor in their lives designs a
truck.

------
rjplatte
I have mixed feelings right now, but this thing is going to grow on a lot of
people. It just looks... badass.

EDIT: It's like the first time I saw The Rock. I thought his head was too
small and his face was stupid. Now I love Dwayne Johnson.

------
dumbfounder
What. Seriously. WHAT. Also, RWD? This thing breaks my brain.

------
shahidkarimi
What is the name of ailment which makes someone buy trucks?

------
sabujp
tsla down almost 7% i told you it was ugly. How hard would it have been to
make it _not ugly_. Just use some sweeping lines, add some more polygons!

------
petre
Looks like a stainless steel origami opression vehicle.

------
ptah
is this safe? modern cars are designed to absorb impact and not transfer it to
passengers. this sounds like it is a rigid metal car like a vw beetle

------
ryanmercer
As a pickup it looks worthless, as a futuristic military transport that checks
off a bunch of my childhood fantasies I wish I could afford one but at more
than a year's gross income... _sigh_.

------
techbio
The opposite aesthetic direction from the Roadster.

------
kmlx
i don't think i've ever seen a car that's hideous from every single angle. did
something happen to the tesla design team?

------
wiz21c
Is it me or it looks like a proposal for US Army ?

------
AndrewBissell
I laughed at the Model Y unveil, but looking at this I am experiencing "Sam
Neill 'In the Mouth of Madness' " paroxysms of laughter. What an ugly hunk of
garbage.

------
ohlookabird
Woah. I think it it's actually pretty cool!

------
lasryaric
I don’t even need a truck, I am driving a Prius Prime (32 miles battery + gas
tank) today and I want to buy this. The look, the specs, the design of the
website, I love it all!

------
Aeolun
This looks like the result of a bet gone wrong.

------
fudgy73
there's no way this is what the production version will look like. US still
requires side-view mirrors, for instance.

------
RiOuseR
Whats with that logo? Is tagging cool again?

------
meddlepal
This thing is so fucking quirky I love it.

------
ggambetta
> With the ability to pull near infinite mass

Wait, what?

------
hit8run
The edges are way too sharp for EU regulations I guess. Don’t think this model
will be allowed in the EU. Sharp edges like these do more harm on collision.

------
bovermyer
I absolutely love the design. I want one.

------
thunderbong
Suddenly, it feels like the 21st century!

------
spectaclepiece
I feel like I just arrived to the future

------
thunderbong
Suddenly it feels like the 21st century!

------
senectus1
flat surfaces, no curved panels.. i wonder how much of that design decision is
to reduce production costs?

------
mywacaday
Its not a truck its the new mars rover.

------
simonsaidit
i wonder if this truck car will be just as bad for the other guys it hits as
it would be hitting a truck.

------
monkin
The best car design since DeLorean! :)

------
neiman
A distopian car for a distopian world.

------
notjustanymike
Back to the Future reboot incoming...

------
jonplackett
Can someone with more 3D skills than me please make a video of the Cybertruck
smashing though a normal truck ICEing a supercharger bay.

------
bochoh
How many of you actually preordered?

------
Hoasi
Ugly, but cool. That's perfect.

------
celticninja
Stealth bomber on wheels. I love it

------
Mikho
The design reminds in style old project Boomerang by Ital Design from 1972

[https://www.italdesign.it/project/boomerang/](https://www.italdesign.it/project/boomerang/)

BTW, it is the same company that design famous Back to the Future car DeLorean
DMC 12.

[https://www.italdesign.it/project/dmc-12/](https://www.italdesign.it/project/dmc-12/)

~~~
arkades
Reminds me of the Christian Bale batmobile.

Paint it black and I’m in.

~~~
Mikho
I think US Army will be the main contractor for the pickup replacing Hummer in
many cases.

------
Psype
I've read Cyberdrunk, sorry.

------
throwaway713
If they can get the glass breaking issue figured out, this might be the first
truck to make an appearance in SF.

------
Whut
It's so ugly, I want one.

------
dcchambers
My disappointment is palpable.

------
sabujp
This is so ugly i don't even know where to begin. I think it's worse or on par
with the pontiac aztek

~~~
cowgoesmo0
I can't believe there are so many people in this thread that actually like the
design. Just goes to show how insanely nerdy the denizens of HN are.

~~~
rvz
You can also add that to this type of audience which pretty much sums up what
the technical bias of a typical HN reader/commenter really is.

So far it is more like all things:

Linux, Rust, AMD, ThinkPads, Elon Musk, Rick and Morty, Stanford, MIT, Web-
Tech, Stripe Design, Mr Robot, Space Travel, Kubernetes, Data Structures and
Algorithms, and now Telsa.

------
everyone
Reminiscent of the Delorean

------
asdz
the aluminium surface won't it reflect all the sunlight to others?

------
sidcool
What is the shipping date?

------
pete_b
Is this even legal to sell in Europe? Looks like it is designed to slice
objects on collision.

~~~
ptaipale
Looks are often quite misleading when you actually start to investigate
collision safety.

------
foobar_fighter
With a 6.5s 0-60 time, it won't be smoking too many sports cars on the track.

~~~
almost_usual
Who buys a truck for this reason?

~~~
newnewpdro
Apparently you've never heard of rolling coal or proud boys

~~~
TylerE
Yes, but you realize the factor uniting that crowd is a hatred of Prius
drivers, right?

------
gchokov
I love it. Brave step!

------
ijidak
This design is so ugly it makes me question my investment in Tesla.

What are they thinking...?

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hntddt1
Where is back mirror

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nxpnsv
Trucla was better.

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tengbretson
Looks like Tesla has no clue who the people are that buy trucks

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sabujp
tsla down almost 7%, i told you it was ugly

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mytailorisrich
It looks straight from a 70s sci-fi movie.

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fnord77
love the retracting bed cover

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robomartin
Lots of interesting comments and perspectives in this thread, from the
judgmental "trucks are stupid" group (typically outside the US) to "this thing
is ugly" reactionaries and everything in between. This is what I love (and
hate) about HN. Yet, if you stop and use it as stimulus for though, HN turns
out to be a good way to force you to reevaluate your mental
models...sometimes.

My first reaction to this truck was along the lines of "this is the very
definition of ugly". From there it moved to "well, that was stupid" (the
glass). And, slowly, once past the shock, it morphed into "it seems to have
lots of practical features". Now I want to see one in person and explore it a
bit.

A few random thoughts:

We are in the market to purchase two vehicles within the next, say, 12 months,
with one of them likely in the next four months or less. We thought we would
go electric...until the fires here in California caused us to rethink things.

Simple issue: The infrastructure for conventional vehicles is ubiquitous. You
don't even have to think about the availability of energy at all. Simple
example, yesterday one of our cars was down to 7 miles of range left in the
fuel tank. This wasn't a big deal at all. There are easily twenty gas stations
within that driving distance, if not more. And topping-off takes ten minutes
or less total time.

From my perspective, and some might disagree, at the current time the weakest
point of any electric vehicle, Tesla or otherwise, is the --and I think I can
use this word-- fact that they cannot be relied upon during emergencies. The
infrastructure isn't mature and ubiquitous enough to match the degree of
reliance one can place on IC vehicles. If your life and that of your family
depends on being able to travel, electric vehicles are a bad idea.

Because of this we went from really wanting to transition in to electrics (we
even installed a 13 kW solar system in preparation for this transition) to now
thinking timing isn't quite right.

A brief comment for those disparaging the "American obsession with large
vehicles". I'll just say you likely lack context. I don't own a truck, I've
always been as sports car guy. I've probably owned more sports cars than
anything else. However, most (all) US cities are very different from European
cities. There are no problems with the size of roads, all the way down to
business districts and neighborhoods. I've traveled all over Europe and other
parts of the world. And, yes, in a lot of the cities and towns I have visited
US-style SUV's and trucks would make no sense whatsoever.

Don't think Americans are ignorant or less sophisticated because they are
buying SUV's and trucks. If they were not practical there wouldn't be a market
for them. It's the same for what we call minivans --not sure if the same term
is used in Europe. We have a Toyota Sienna with 220,000 miles on it. We bought
it new. It is incredibly practical in the context of family life, home
renovations, dealing with our three German Shepherd dogs, going to the lake,
going camping, loading it up with friends and family for travel. Form follows
function AND needs, and in the US trucks and SUV --large and small-- exist
because they are practical, useful and deliver value.

Sure, it is disconcerting to see just one person effectively commuting in a
truck. The perspective here is that not everyone is a software engineer, most
people have limited financial resources and they can't buy both an efficient
small "green-er" vehicle and the truck or SUV they need for family and home
use. So, again, they make a choice based on form, function and needs, and if a
truck, minivan or SUV make sense, well, that's what they buy, and that's what
they drive every day.

Back to Tesla...

One possible perspective on this is that of what I am generally going to put
under the umbrella of fiduciary responsibility.

One could rightly argue that coming out with something like this is a breach
of that responsibility to investors. Tesla has excellent technology and could
become a massive company. The truck market can support millions of units per
year in sales just in the US (about 2.5 to 3 million per year). This radical
design is, from that perspective, irresponsible. It will capture a very, very
small percentage of the 250,000+ trucks per month sold on average in the US.
It's a shocker, like the Hummer, but it isn't going to make a dent on overall
truck sales. If anything it might signal that Elon isn't interested in growing
Tesla beyond a certain level.

These are not decisions you make if you want to beat the other guys at their
own game (or even redefine the game). In an industry where historical P/E
ratios are in the 10 to 15 range, Tesla will eventually have to face that hard
cold reality. Sure, today investors ignore this but, at the end of the day,
when everyone is making electric cars and batteries, Tesla might not be able
to escape the fact that it will be just another car company. In that context,
I think this truck might be an irresponsible waste of an important competitive
advantage.

Two of the worst things you can waste in life are time and trust. This
offering is guaranteed to waste a ton of time. Years. And trust also. Anyone
who wants a "real" or, let's just say "traditional" truck is going to ignore
Tesla and assume they are just crazy. There are 250,000 people making a
decision to buy a truck EVERY MONTH, and the VAST majority of them are going
to laugh at Tesla and move on. It will be year, maybe even a decade, before
anyone looks at Tesla as a serious truck company. So, yeah, time and trust
wasted, unnecessarily.

I need to see this Tesla thing (that would have been a good name "Thing") but
I don't think I am buying one. Next iteration, perhaps.

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uvesten
Is it April first already?

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aglavine
fucking impressive

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sabujp
honestly i think my 4 year old could design a better looking truck

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eyeball
Autopilot?

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zeptoon
So my hypothesis is the people who buy stupidly oversized pickup trucks (which
generally speaking aren't going to be the people on this site btw) are either
crazy gun people, trailer _____, or people who seriously are trying to prove
something. For all of these people it's about making a very large very visible
and very obnoxious over the top statement. Really can't see how any of that
demographic either wants anything "cyber" (although again this site is the
wrong place to be making this argument) or anything that isn't just "in your
face over the top MACHO". If you imagine the Cybertruck in wood, it looks like
a cheap Pinewood derby car. The design looks like something a 3rd grader came
up with. It should be redesigned to: a) have an obnoxiously loud (yet
completely unnecessary) ENGINE sound; b) have an incredibly obnoxious front
grill that emphasizes absolute dominance; c) a bed in the back that's open to
the elements (because no one carries stuff there anyway, and being open to the
elements is tough); d) be about 3x the size. Nobody wants a pinewood derby car
masquerading as a truck imho. I think this will be a huge flop.

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z3rgl1ng
This is what happens when an Aztec mates with a Delorean. This is the biggest
boondoggle, maybe ever. The Reliant Robin has more charisma than this thing.

~~~
CamperBob2
An iconic car with an almost 30-year production run? I'm sure Tesla would be
OK with that kind of "boondoggle" on their hands.

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johnsolo1701
Cringe moment of the year when the glass broke

~~~
jefft255
Twice...

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internet_user
Busted armoured windows on stage, live on TV - priceless.

------
typon
Are the people commenting that this truck is a good product just delusional or
trolling?

~~~
leesec
Are you delusional or just trolling?

Shocking that people can like different things, I know.

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hinkley
Since nobody else has commented on this, I’d like to address the jackass who
kept shouting to shoot the car with a gun:

You want him to fire live rounds in a room full of people. Live rounds that we
are expecting to ricochet.

Stop watching action movies and go the fuck outside, you absolute unit.

------
djsumdog
A lot of people are talking about how it looks awesome. I guess they've done
their market research to target the audience that wants this. It's looks like
1980s sci-fi threw up and I think it looks terrible for appealing to most of
the general population.

They'll probably make their money off of it (with tax subsidies, which is
still keeping most of Musk's enterprises afloat .. so we're all paying for it,
sadly), but it's because they target the demographic clearly represented in a
lot of these comments.

Personally, I think the design looks awful and terrible. I don't even really
like the current Tesla with their terrible UI, stupid "touch-screen-
everything" and lack of tactile buttons. But whatever, I'm sure it will sell.

~~~
nikofeyn
i had to double back and check where i came from, as i said out loud to myself
“wait, is this a joke?”.

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pissedattesla
This is a design abomination and a colossal mistake. Like many, I've been a
fan of Tesla from the beginning because of the beautiful and tantalizing
design language which was backed up with mind boggling performance. It made
you aspire for the vehicle. Why would Tesla mess with that formula? This truck
is horrendous, an absolute beast. This looks like a high school science
project gone bad. I actually thought the whole thing was a joke and I was
waiting for Elon to smash it with the sledge hammer at the end to reveal a
prince of a vehicle underneath a frog skin. It never happened and I was
speechless. Yes, the features and specs were in keeping with Tesla's awe-
inspiring tradition. But, I can't say the same for the design. Elon, we're all
human beings and we make mistakes. Please fix and re-do. Your company
reputation and survival depend on this. I am utterly shocked and extremely
disappointed.

Jay K.

