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(CNN Business) - The Cybertruck has arrived and doesn't look anything like any truck you've seen. Years after saying for the first time that he was on his way, Tesla finally revealed the electric van in his Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, just outside of Los Angeles.
When the van was initially driven to the stage, many in the crowd clearly could not believe that this was really the vehicle they had come to see. The Cybertruck looks like a large metal trapeze with wheels, more a work of art than a truck.
The Tesla Cybertruck has a roller cover and a ramp built into the plate.
Instead of a clearly separated cabin and back, the body seems to have only one shape. The exterior is made of a newly developed stainless steel alloy, said Elon Musk, the same metal used for SpaceX rockets. That alloy allows the car to be "literally bulletproof" against at least smaller firearms, including a 9-millimeter gun, Musk said.
A man with a hammer hit the sides of the car without damaging it. But a demonstration of the supposedly unbreakable metal glass windows of the truck proved counterproductive when a metal ball thrown against the windows, in fact, broke them.
"But it didn't pass through," Musk pointed out shyly.
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Amazing power at an incredible price
Musk has made surprising claims about the capabilities of the truck. Among them, he has said that the Cybertruck would be more capable, in terms of towing and transport, than a Ford F-150 and would function as a better sports car than a Porsche 911.
The most expensive version of the truck, the Tri Motor All-Wheel-Drive, can transport 1,500 kg, tow up to 6,350 kg and go from 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds. You can also drive up to 800 km with a full load. The base models will have a range of 400 km.
In addition to being able to transport cargo on your plate, the van will have locked storage spaces under the hood and on the sides. The platter itself also has a sliding cover.
The Cybertruck supposedly has shatterproof windows.
Another striking feature of the car is its price. The base version will start at $ 39,900. That's only about $ 10,000 more than the price of a Ford F-150 base model, which starts at around $ 30,000. But it would compete well with the cost of a well-equipped F-150. An F-150 Lariat Super Cab, for example, starts at approximately $ 44,000.
Prices for the high-end Tri Motor AWD version of Cybertruck start at $ 69,900.
Among the options that buyers can choose from, there will be the option of “autonomous driving” of Tesla for $ 7,000. (The truck should be able to drive alone once the software is available.) Drivers may also adjust the ride height, when on or off the road, using an adaptive air suspension system. That will come as a standard feature.
Musk had a final surprise when the presentation was ending.
"Oh yes," he said. "We also did a quad bike."
With that, a driver left a side room in a small all-terrain electric vehicle. He lowered the back door of the truck, extended the built-in ramp and climbed it on the board.
The new Tesla electric van will not be exempt from stiff competition. It goes against the two market leaders in full-size trucks in the United States. Ford is developing its own F-series electric van, while General Motors, which makes Chevrolet and GMC trucks, also has its own electric vans in process. Earlier on Thursday, General Motors executive director Mary Barra said the automaker expects to start selling its electric van in the fall of 2021.
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Tesla now also faces another Michigan-based competitor, Rivian, a company that plans to start selling its own electric van next year. The company has Amazon and Ford as the main investors. Rvian's founder, RJ Scaringe, ranked third in this year's recently launched Trend Motor Power List, a largely subjective ranking related to automotive industry trends. Musk ranked 24th. Rivian's trucks will cost tens of thousands of dollars more than Tesla's, but they will look much more like a truck.
'A niche product at best'
The market potential for the Tesla van remains a mystery. To date, there has been little overlap between full-size truck buyers and Tesla buyers. For example, Teslas and other electric cars sell well on the coasts of the United States, while large vans sell better in the Midwest.
In addition, Tesla Cybertruck is nothing like a traditional truck. Truck buyers may want to stand out, but it is not clear if they will be comfortable with excelling so much.
“It will be a niche product at best and does not represent a threat in the truck market as we know it today. The other disadvantage is that this car will not have federal tax credits when it comes out, ”said Matt DeLorenzo, senior executive editor of Kelley Blue Book.
Musk has said in the past that the van is something like a personal project and he doesn't care much if few people really want to buy it.
Chelsea Sexton, an analyst who covers the electric vehicle market, said he does not believe that the truck Musk showed was very close to the final production vehicle.
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"From the point of view of the specification, I think it is probably what they point to, but, without a doubt, that body style is not a high-volume product," he said.
Production will begin in late 2021, and production of the Tri Motor AWD version of the Cybertruck will begin a year later, according to Tesla.
Tesla
